College Life
by luberly
Summary: This story was inspired by 'The Stakeout Revelation.' It's about what might have happened if Stephanie met Ranger when they were both in college. In this reality, Stephanie is 2 years younger than Ranger but she graduated high-school a year early. How would the course of their lives differ and how would they differ as a result?
1. Chapter 1 - When One Door Closes

I realise that this story is going to be a little different than some of you were hoping or expecting. I know you thought that I'd continue with the present day Stephanie and Ranger, but I wanted to do something a little different. This is a what-if sort of story. What if they met when they were younger. It's clear that they have chemistry when they're older, but would it have been as strong when they were younger and had less life experience?

I might eventually write a proper sequel to The Stakeout Revelation, but not until this story is finished and the next RangeWoman story is complete. I have about 15 other stories that are partially written, but who knows what will happen down the road. :) I tend to get an idea and start a story and then get another idea and start another story. As a result, none of them are actually finished or polished enough to publish. If my free time was infinite, maybe I'd spend more time writing, but it's not. I do what I can, when I'm in the mood and have time.

I also wanted to clarify something about Stephanie and Ranger's ages in The Stakeout Revelation. I know that in the books that they are the same age (2 months apart), but I needed Stephanie to be younger in order for the whole fast-tracking through high school overlap thing to work. Also, it helps later in the story. So to clarify, when this story starts Stephanie is almost 18 and Carlos is almost 20.

I own none of these characters, they belong to JE!

Please enjoy and when the comments get to a sufficient number, I'll update with the next chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 1. When One Door Closes**

I don't know if it was a habit or if it was just a routine that I needed to get my day started. I met a small group of friends every day in the college cafeteria and we sat at the exact same table. It was after the breakfast rush, so we were always able to sit there.

Today of all days, I needed that routine. I had my last exam of the year, I had a fight with my boyfriend last night and he stormed away from me, and now I can't seem to find the jerk and he has some of my notes for our exam later today. I put my bag on my usual stool and made a quick trip to the restroom.

When I returned from the bathroom, none of my friends had arrived, but a guy I'd never seen before was sitting in my spot. He'd moved my bag onto the stool beside him and was intently staring toward the door. I couldn't see who it was, but I didn't recognize them either. I was more annoyed that he took a seat that I was obviously saving for myself, rather than worrying who he was.

I marched over to him and stood directly behind him, looking to see where he was staring. It appeared that he was either waiting for someone, or hiding from them. I didn't care either way. All I cared about was the fact that he took something that was clearly mine. I needed to sit there to control my nerves and get a little calm in my life before sitting my hardest exam later this afternoon.

I cleared my throat behind the guy and he didn't move or even acknowledge my presence. That annoyed me even more, so I started talking. "I don't know who you think you are, but you are sitting in my seat. You picked up my bag and moved it to another stool and stole my seat. I would appreciate it if you would move."

The guy didn't move to look at me. He kept his gaze at the door and said, "I'm sorry that I have borrowed your spot. Unfortunately, this is the only spot in the whole cafeteria that gives me this advantage point and I need it for another 15 minutes. Could you please just sit in one of the other stools at this table for the duration of my visit?"

I was surprised at reply, so I asked, "Can you tell me why you've commandeered my seat? It might make me more flexible in my seating arrangements today if I understand the urgency of your dilemma, because you're clearly hiding or on the lookout for something."

He turned his head slightly in my direction and sighed before replying. "It's not something I really want to talk about, but since I've inconvenienced you, I suppose you do deserve some sort of explanation.

"I was seeing this girl, and it seemed to be going really well. She wasn't as annoying as some of the girls that tend to go for me, and we got along really well. We were supposed to meet last night at a club on the other side of campus, but I had to call and cancel because I was worried about an exam I have coming up and I wanted to get in a few more hours of book time to prepare myself.

"Around 11, I was feeling a little book crazy, so I decided to take a break and head over to the club. When I walked in, it took me less than 30 seconds to find my girlfriend. Unfortunately, she had her tongue down some other guy's throat and he had his hands all over her ass. When I asked around about the guy, I was told to be here this morning and wait for the guy who orders plain toast with no butter and nothing else.

"I'm not sure what I'm going to do when I see this guy, and now that I've spoken things out loud, it's starting to sound like a really bad idea. I don't want her back, but I want the guy to know that it's not OK to hit on a girl when she's already in a relationship."

When he finally turned to look at me, I wasn't paying him any attention. I was reeling over what he had said. I knew a guy who ate his toast just like that, and it was my boyfriend. I reached out to grab the stool to my right, and must have stumbled, because the stranger grabbed my arm, looking at me with concern.

"Are you alright?"

I looked at him for the first time, noticing that he had a nice face, but I was too in shock at the time to truly appreciate his physical beauty. I shook my head and a squeaky whisper was all I was able to get out. "The guy that eats his toast like that just happens to be my boyfriend Ryan, or he will be until 5 seconds after he walks into this room. You don't have to do anything to him because I'll kill him myself.

"The stupid bastard got mad at me last night because he saw me hugging another guy. We are in a class together and had just finished an extremely difficult exam. Before the exam, I gave him a tip to help him remember something that he had always struggled with in assignments. He was simply thanking me for my help and Ryan flew off the handle about inappropriate displays of affection with other men.

"Now you're telling me he was sucking face with another girl? What a hypocrite! And the bastard has some of my notes for my exam today. I just hope he is willing to give them back so I can do some last minute cramming."

I stared off into space for a few minutes before I started to pull my bag towards me and rummage through it. I had an exam later today, and I had to push my emotional trauma away so I could focus on something else.

The guy sat there and watched me unpack my bag, organize my books, and finally pull out a sheaf of loose notes before he asked, "I should probably introduce myself. I'm Carlos. I'm really sorry that I've caused you distress. Can I make it up to you by buying you a coffee or perhaps breakfast?"

I turned and looked at him and saw him for the first time. I could have easily started at him all day, but I also knew that my exam was approaching, and there were a few things that I wanted to review. I blinked and then looked down at my notes and replied, "Hi Carlos, nice to meet you. I'm Stephanie." I had noticed Ryan walk into the cafeteria out of the corner of my eye, and since Carlos was not looking, he hadn't noticed. I continued by saying, "I like the idea of breakfast and coffee, and if you go now, you can order my extremely specific morning usual right behind the jerk who orders his toast plain." I said this while writing my typical breakfast order on a scrap of paper.

He nodded and I handed him the paper and watched as he went and stood behind Ryan. I watched as Ryan ordered his plain dry toast and a coffee. I also watched as Carlos ordered my breakfast, something for himself, and two coffees. Ryan looked a bit confused and leaned over to Carlos to say something to him. Carlos replied, making Ryan turn very white, but since I was so far away, I couldn't hear what he said.

A few minutes later, Ryan stomped over to our usual table, slammed his coffee down, spilling a little over the rim and rummaged through his bag. He pulled out a handful of papers, slammed them on the desk, and then walked away, never saying a word. I watched him leave, and couldn't stop myself from laughing.

I was still chuckling when Carlos carried a tray filled with breakfast-y goodness to our table. He was looking at me with an odd expression and once he laid down the tray, he asked, "I don't know why, but I expected some yelling and screaming from you when you confronted Ryan. I didn't expect laughter."

I smiled and nodded my head, replying "I had planned on calling him a bunch of names, but in the end, I think my energy is better focused on preparing for my exam this afternoon. What did you two talk about in line?"

"He asked me who I was and why I was ordering his girlfriend breakfast. I simply replied that since he had his tongue down another woman's throat last night, he no longer had the right to call you his girlfriend, so in the end, it didn't matter who I was and why I was buying you breakfast. I also mentioned that he needed to give your notes back or the rugby team might be upset with him that he made time with one of their ladies last night."

I looked at him and his serious face, trying to supress a laugh. My control lasted about 5 seconds before I burst out laughing so hard that I needed to grip the table so I wouldn't fall over. Carlos was smiling, and even though I realised he was a good looking guy earlier, his smile lit up his face even more. He was a sight to behold, but luckily, I was paranoid about my exam enough to tear my eyes away from his face.

I watched as Carlos placed my plate and coffee in front of him and put his plate across the table from him. He then stood up and moved around to the other side of the table saying, "Please take your seat. I am sorry I caused you distress this morning, and I hope you won't hold it against me for long."

I scooted over onto my regular stool, sighing as the world seemed to feel better immediately. I pulled the coffee towards me, took a sip, and then dug into my breakfast with gusto. In case you're curious, my regular breakfast order that I got on special occasions at the cafeteria consists of 2 fried eggs, 3 pancakes, hash browns, a carrot cake muffin, and a small bowl of fruit salad. I felt like I needed the extra comfort today so I could focus on my exam and not on my failed love life.

I looked up part way through my breakfast to find Carlos staring at me, with his fork in hand, stalled on the way to his mouth. I blushed at his attention and asked, "What? Do I have something on my face?"

He shook his head slightly, as if trying to shake something loose and said, "No, but I was kind of hypnotised by how much you seemed to be enjoying your food. I've never met anyone, let alone a woman who is as vocal about her food."

I looked at him with shock and continued to blush asking, "What do you mean vocal? Nobody has ever said something like that to me before."

Carlos smiled slightly and said, "Did you know that when you put a bit of food into your mouth, you close your eyes? You sigh when you swallow, and if something tastes particularly good, you give a very soft and barely detectable moan. As I said, it was hypnotic. If nobody ever said anything to you before, they probably never noticed. Either that or you've never done it before today."

I was a bit confused, because I didn't remember doing anything differently, but nobody had ever mentioned it to me before. I didn't know what to say so I just shrugged my shoulders and continued to eat.

When I finished eating, Carlos asked, "What time is your exam today? And what subject it is?"

"Economics at 4PM. That reminds me, I should get to studying. It was really nice to meet you Carlos, too bad it was under such crazy circumstances."

Carlos took my hint and gathered the dirty dishes from the table and put the tray away. When he returned to the table, he asked, "Since this is your last exam, why don't you join my friends and I this evening to celebrate the end of our second year at Rutgers. I know you're a Douglass student, but the two colleges are really one big happy family. We're meeting at 8:30 at Grifters and we'll likely stay there for the rest of the evening if you're interested." Without waiting for my reply, Carlos left, passing by my friends Christie and Molly on the way out.

When they reached me, Molly was practically drooling and Christie tripped over the stool that Carlos had been using. Molly looked at me and asked, "Who on earth was that fine specimen of a man?"

I had noticed Carlos' good looks, but I didn't think much of it at the time, but seeing the reactions of my friends to his appearance made me laugh.

"You won't believe this, but some stupid woman decided to blow off Carlos" I said, pointing at the back of the man who had just departed, "and hook up with Ryan."

The girls stared at me for a moment, so I figured I might as well continue with the rest of the story.

"Carlos came here this morning hoping to confront Ryan, and accidentally told me that my now ex-boyfriend was cheating on me with his girlfriend. Instead of confronting Ryan, Carlos bought me breakfast and encouraged Ryan to give me back my study notes and leave. You guys came after we finished breakfast and he left to allow me to get in some last minute studying."

"Wow." Was all that Molly was able to say, still looking towards the direction Carlos had exited. She had a dreamy look on her face and I was forced to clap my hands in her face to snap her out of it.

"Sorry Steph, I was just a bit overwhelmed by the shock of seeing such a handsome guy. And then you tell us that his apparently brain damaged girlfriend preferred Ryan's company over his? I'm shocked, but I'm happy to see that Ryan will not be here for our final cram session. He always talked more than studied, and I'm ready to get down to business so we can ace this exam."Christie nodded her agreement, and we spread our notes and books out on the table and got to work.

We spent the next several hours going over our course work and preparing for our exam. We'd quiz each other, do sample questions, and evaluate where we went wrong by passing our work back and forth.

By the time I walked into the exam hall at 3:50, I was feeling confident that I would perform well, but something was nagging me about the exam, and I wasn't sure what. I looked over at Molly and Christie and told them to ensure that they spent time at the beginning of the exam reading through it before answering any questions. I wasn't sure why it was so important this time around, but I was sure it would help with the exam. I wished my friends good luck and walked into the hall to take a seat.

* * *

Thanks for reading and let me know what you thought. I don't want to hold the next chapter hostage but I won't post it until I get sufficient evidence that there is enough interest in this story. I don't need 100s of reviews, but I need some.

Cheers!


	2. Chapter 2 - Strength Comes from Pain

Since these characters are based on JE's work, I am not making a financial profit. I am having a great time using these characters though. I hope you are enjoying the story. Let me know and enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 2. Strength Comes from Pain**

When I turned my exam paper over when we were told to begin, I read the instruction sheet that encouraged students to read through the paper before they began, but based on the amount of pencils on paper I could hear, very few students took this advice to heart. It was a habit of mine to read a paper before starting, so instead of diving right in, I started my usual review process.

When I got to the final question 15 minutes later, I almost laughed aloud when I read, "Now that you've proven that you can follow the instructions, please provide answers for all odd questions only. You will lose marks for any even questions."

I returned to the first page of the exam and realised that the even questions were the ones that I was apprehensive of when I first started reading the paper. The odd questions were similar to the ones we were practicing during our cram session earlier that day.

I picked up my pencil, filled in my details on the first page and then moved to the first question. I easily progressed through the paper, and when I finished answering my final question, I looked up to see how much time I had to review my answers. I was surprised to see that there was over an hour left for my final review process, so I took my time, double-checked my work, and when the final bell sounded, I confidently handed my paper in to the exam proctor.

Molly and Christie left a little before me, so when I found them in the hall, they came over to me to find out how I thought it went. As usual Molly was the first to speak. "That was a lot easier than I expected. I am really glad that you reminded us to read through the exam before starting. I heard a bunch of swears throughout the room when people got to the last question."

Christie nodded and continued, "I struggled with a few questions, but in the end, I think I did OK. If I had answered any of the even questions, I think I'd have definitely failed. Thanks Steph for encouraging us to take our time and review the paper before jumping in. It sounded like a lot of people are regretting their hastiness."

We laughed as we walked towards the building exit, discussing our summer plans. When we walked out into the dying autumn light, I said, "Carlos invited me to go meet him and some friends over at Grifters tonight at 8:30. Did you guys want to come too? I'm not sure I'm confident enough to go alone."

Molly almost screamed her affirmative reply, but Christie looked a little apprehensive. Christie was a really friendly girl, but she was very shy around new strangers. Molly and I looked at each other and then at Christie, and I said, "C'mon Christie, it'll be fun. If Carlos' friends are even half as good looking as Carlos, we'll be surrounded by Rutgers hunks. We can even go to the mall and get something new to wear and maybe even get our hair done if we have time. What do you say?"

Christie smiled shyly and said, "I'll go on one condition." Molly and I nodded and Christie continued, "Neither of you can abandon me nor can you leave me alone with a group of guys I don't know. Also, I don't have a lot of money to spare, so let's not go crazy at the mall. Let's just wear something casual and comfortable. Grifters isn't a night club, it's just a dimly lit bar."

Molly and I agreed to her terms, but I took it further by saying, "Let's just go to my place, order a pizza and get ready there. If each of you brings a few outfits, we can all share and find something perfect to wear, since we're all the same size. Also, I don't think we have enough time to go shopping after all, it's already 6:45." Instead, we agreed to meet at my apartment 15 minutes later. I would call out for pizza as soon as I got home so it would arrive while we were getting ready.

When I opened the door to my apartment, I was surprised to hear somebody in the kitchen. My roommate was gone for the summer already, so nobody else should be in here. I tentatively walked into the kitchen to find Ryan opening the cupboards as if he was looking for something.

"What are you doing Ryan?"

Without looking up he replied, "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm searching for something."

"What are you doing in my apartment Ryan? You have no right to be here. I know I never gave you a key so that means that you must have broken in. I should call the cops on you."

Ryan looked at me and his face immediately changed from frustration to rage. He walked towards me quickly and I stepped backwards and bumped into the wall. Ryan grabbed my arms and with a very low and angry voice, he said, "How dare you question my actions when you are the one that was having breakfast with another man. I am looking for an antique bowl that I gave you as a gift last Christmas. It was a family heirloom and I don't want you to have it anymore."

I tried to pull out of his grip, but it was too strong. I calmly said, "The bowl is on the table beside the television. Take it and get out. You have no right to complain about me having breakfast with another man when you were out last night sticking your tongue down the throat of another woman."

"You don't know what you are talking about Stephanie. I would never do something like that."

"You are a liar Ryan. That man who bought me breakfast was at the club last night to meet his girlfriend. When he arrived, he saw her. He also saw you, and the two of you were not just having breakfast. Get out of here. I don't want to see you ever again. If you do come back, I'll call the police."

"You can't order me out of here. I've practically lived here for the last 6 months. I have belongings here and I have a right to access those belongings any time I want."

"Your name is not on the lease Ryan. You are right that you have spent a lot of time here, but as of this moment, you are no longer welcome here. I will collect all of your belongings and ship them to you later this week. Until then, you'll just have to live without them. Now GET OUT!" I screamed as I pointed toward the door.

Ryan was livid with anger, but he released me and walked over to the television stand and picked up his antique bowl. He walked over to me on the way out, and just when I thought he was going to go and leave me be, he raised his hand and slapped me across the face.

I was so shocked at his reaction that I stood there for several minutes, massaging my cheek where he hit me. A knock at my door brought me out of my stupor and when I opened the door, the look on Molly's face indicated that something was very wrong.

"What's wrong Molly?"

"Your face and your arms, Steph. What the hell happened?"

I walked over to the mirror beside the door and stared at my reflection. I had very visible red hand print that would surely turn into dark blue bruises. But worse than that, there was a small cut and a bruise already surfacing on my cheek. I knew Ryan had hit me hard, but I wasn't aware of how hard he hit until now.

I looked at Molly and said, "Ryan broke in and was rummaging through my apartment when I got home. I ordered him out and he freaked out about me having breakfast with Carlos. I explained that I knew he had cheated on me and that I never wanted to see him again. He went on about some antique bowl that he had given me. He collected the bowl after grabbing my arms and yelling at me. As a departing gift on his way out, he hit me."

"Oh my God Steph, we should go report this to the police."

Christie arrived a few minutes later, and she agreed with Molly. So our evening plans forgotten, we headed over to the campus police office. When they saw me, they asked if I'd like to make a formal complaint, and I replied, "As a matter of fact, no. I'd prefer to press charges. I did nothing to provoke this attack other than let him know that I was aware that he was cheating on me. He broke into my apartment and then assaulted me. He's pre-law and he knows full well that those things are illegal."

It took about an hour for them to process my complaints. They took photos, asked for statements, requested a bunch of other information, and by the time we left, it was already 8:30.

"Do you guys still want to go to Grifters, or would you rather a night in?" Christie asked.

Molly looked at me, but I wasn't going to let Ryan ruin what might turn out to be a fun night, so I said, "Let's go back to my place, change as fast as we can, cover up as much of my bruised face as possible, and go have some fun. I'm sure they serve food at this place, so we can just eat there."

We all agreed, and by 9:00, we were dressed, sufficiently made up for a dim lighted bar and made our way across town to the bar. When we first walked in, it took our eyes a few minutes to adjust to the dim lighting, but I didn't even have to look around before Carlos came and greeted me.

"Hey Stephanie, I'm really glad you were able to…" He stopped talking and was looking at me funny. "Why do you have a bruise on your face?"

I looked up at Carlos and saw concern written all over his face. I blushed for a second and then quietly replied, forcing him to lean closer, "Ryan didn't like us having breakfast, and when I explained who you were and why you were there in the first place, he got angry because I found out he was cheating on me. He blamed me for everything and left me with some bruises as a reminder that I am now better off without him. The irony is, he's pre-law, and he's going to have to find a new career because most law firms don't like to hire felons. I pressed charges against him for breaking into my apartment and assaulting me."

Carlos looked at me for a moment and then smiled. He leaned closer and said "I'm sorry you had to go through that, but I'm glad that you stood up for yourself. He doesn't deserve you, and his loss is everyone's gain." He said this so that only I could hear it, but his words warmed me and helped me acknowledge that I was better off without Ryan.

I pulled Molly and Christie closer and said, "Carlos, these are my friends Molly and Christie. They were the ones who encouraged me to go to the police."

Carlos looked at my friends and said, "Nice to meet you ladies. Come with me and I'll introduce you to some of my friends. They've been drinking for the last hour or two, so hopefully they'll be on their best behaviour."

We followed Carlos over to a table where five guys were sitting, talking and laughing. Carlos cleared his throat to get their attention and then said, "Guys, this is Stephanie, Molly and Christie. Stephanie is the one who had the misfortune of meeting me under unpleasant circumstances this morning." Carlos then said, pointing to each of the guys in turn, "Ladies, this is Tom, Jimmy, Lester, Bobby, and Vince."

Everyone shook hands in the most civilised manner, and once we finished, Tom, who was an extremely tall and handsome black man said, "Are you alright Stephanie, you look like you got into one hell of a fight. I'd hate to see the other guy."

I looked down and blushed before saying, "Actually, this is the handiwork of Ryan, my ex-boyfriend as of this morning. He didn't take kindly to being dumped. He even tried to lie to me and tell me that he hadn't cheated. I didn't believe him and when I told him so, he pushed me up against the wall, bruising my arms and then hit me before storming out."

Carlos looked angry, as did the rest of the guys. Lester was the first one to recover from hearing my story and said, "We should teach this guy a lesson. Nobody should hit a woman and get away with it, right Steve."

I was thrown by being called 'Steve', but replied anyway. "I have actually already been to the police station. I have pressed charges against him for breaking and entering and assault. He's pre-law, so that is going to cause him enough trouble as it is. He might even get thrown out of school.

"My only concern is that his family is very wealthy and influential in my neighbourhood. My mother loves Ryan, and I'm sure she'll find some way to blame me and try to talk me out of pressing charges. One way or another, he's out of my life, and I'm not going to look back."

"That's great Steve." Lester said, and then continued, "But I'd still love to kick his ass."

The other guys all nodded in agreement, but I shook my head and said, "Let's talk about something else. My girls and I didn't have time to eat before coming here, so we're starving and a little thirsty."

Carlos and Tom pulled some chairs over to the table for us while Vince went and grabbed a handful of menus from the bar. I was seated between Carlos and Christie and Molly was sitting beside Vince.

We sat around and chatted while we waited for our food and drinks to arrive, and the guys all explained their majors and what their summer plans were.

Carlos and Tom were majoring in Business Management, Vince was Pre-Law, Bobby was Pre-med, Jimmy was as of yet undecided and Lester was torn between Business Finance and Management.

"You see," Lester said, "I'm more interested in the financial side of business, but there are more ladies for me to interact with in the management side."

We all laughed at him and then Carlos asked, "What are you studying Steph?"

"I'm in a similar situation as Lester, but not because of the ladies. I am currently studying Business Finance as well as Marketing and Graphic Design. I've had to take on a few extra courses this year to keep up with both, but my student adviser says I have a natural ability in both areas, so why limit myself this early."

Next, Molly explained that she was majoring in Finance and then Christie said that she was majoring in Marketing and Finance.

When our food arrived, I noticed Carlos watching me carefully. He never said anything to me during the meal, but afterward, he leaned over and whispered "You are quieter when you're in public, but you do make those sounds whenever you eat. I'm a little bit disappointed that it wasn't something special for me, and a little turned on. If you can make those noises with food, what other kinds of noises can you make?"

I turned so red that Lester noticed and said, "Carlos, quit embarrassing the poor girl. It's bad enough that you've already traumatised her once today by ratting out her boyfriend."

I looked at Lester and laughed. When I caught my breath I replied, "What Carlos did today has probably saved me from a lifetime of misery. My mother already had us married in her mind. If I hadn't learned this news today, I'd probably have let her pressure me into an early engagement like she hopes will happen this summer. I can't thank him enough, even if his methods were a little bit clumsy."

Bobby spoke up for the first time in a while and said, "Then maybe you can help us Stephanie. Tom and Carlos have gotten it into their mind that they want to join the Army. The six of us have been friends since we were kids, and our ultimate goal is to start a security company. Tom and Carlos have it in their minds that they need to have proper military training in order to be able to provide adequate security services."

I looked at Tom and then at Carlos and comment after collecting my thoughts. "My father is retired Army, and he has worked a few contracts for a security company that used to be based in Trenton. Most companies of this type are run by ex-military, and this seems to be a prerequisite. You can probably learn a lot of the skills needed outside of the Army, but the prestige associated with an honourable discharge and a rank of some sort seems to go a lot further. I would never try to talk you out of enlisting, but make sure you do it for the right reasons, not just as a stepping stone for something else."

Every single one of the people at the table was staring at me with their mouths open. Tom was the first to recover, so he said, "I appreciate your candour Stephanie. I agree that joining the Army is a huge commitment that means more to me than just a means to an end. I come from a military family. Every male in my family has been in the Army, and when I expressed my wish to go to college instead, my family was very disappointed.

"I'm not trying to keep them happy by joining, it was always my intention to join, but I've seen too many men come out without any marketable skills, so I wanted a degree before I went in. I have one year left on my degree, but Carlos and I have discussed joining before our third year. We can always finish while in the army, but we haven't decided anything yet."

I glanced over at Carlos and saw an odd expression on his face. I couldn't really understand it, but it looked like he felt guilty and disappointed for some reason. I didn't have long to dwell on my thoughts because Vince piped up and asked, "Who wants to share some pitchers of beer?"

Most of us agreed, and Christie shocked Molly and me by offering to help. We looked at each other and smiled as Christie followed Vince to the bar. They talked while they waited, closely watched by the rest of us at the table. Lester noticed our expressions and said, "I take it that Christie is usually shy around strangers." We simply nodded, so he continued, "So is Vince. It kind of surprised me when he spoke earlier, and accepting help from a stranger is almost unheard of for him." We all laughed and left them to their task of fetching the beer.

* * *

Even before she met Ranger, Steph was a magnet for disaster. Let me know what you think. More to come when the reviews hit a special number.


	3. Chapter 3 - Tears and Tantrums

Since you guys were so fantastic with your quick reviews, here's the next chapter. And no, I still don't own the JE characters.

* * *

**Chapter 3. Tears and Tantrums**

While we were waiting for our beer, Bobby was telling us a story about his human physiology final exam. "When we entered the cadaver lab, my classmates and I were separated into groups of 4, and each group had to share a human cadaver. Our exam paper instructed us to thoroughly examine the body in front of us and note anything out of the ordinary that might cause discomfort to the patient if he or she were alive.

"After three hours of searching my cadaver body high and low, I noticed something odd about one minute before the bell rang. I hastily wrote down my findings without indicating to my group that I had found something.

"After the bell went, the professor collected the exam papers and then proceeded to ask each group what they found. The first group noticed several things that the professor thought irrelevant. The second group also failed to find anything on their corpse. When he reached our group, he looked me directly in the eye and asked, "Mr. Brown, can you please tell me if you found anything irregular with your cadaver that might have proven uncomfortable if he were alive?"

"I looked around at my group, all looking back at me with blank expressions. I took a deep breath and said, "I think this man would have had trouble sitting down because he has a glass vase stuck up his ass."

"The class burst out with laughter, but the professor spoke over the laughter and said, "Mr. Brown, I look forward to seeing you in my class next year. The rest of you had better cross your fingers that your term work can pull your grade high enough to pass." With that, the professor walked out of the room and the exam was over.

"My classmates all stared at me. They didn't seem too annoyed at me, but they will be kicking themselves for missing the vase!"

We all laughed, but Molly was looking a little perplexed. "Bobby, what gave you the idea to check the ass?"

"I was thinking to myself, trying to come up with an answer. I usually say things like 'Pull your finger out of your ass and get on with it' as encouragement to myself. Only this time, it worked. When I thought that, I realised I hadn't checked the rectum. I didn't have to turn the body over to feel that there was something hard inserted where it didn't belong. I tried to discretely examine other parts of the abdomen, but at the same time discern the shape of the object embedded in the cadaver's ass. It felt like a vase, so I assumed it was. Since my professor didn't complain about the object, I can only assume I guessed right, or the object itself was of little matter."

We were still chuckling when Vince returned with four pitchers and Christie was holding two stacks of four glasses. She sat quietly in her chair, waited for Vince to fill each glass, and then handed them around. When everybody had a glass in hand, Jimmy piped up for the first time all evening and said, "To the end of another school year and meeting new friends."

Carlos looked at Jimmy and replied, "Well said Jimmy, to the end of another school year and to meeting new friends."

We all repeated Jimmy's words, clinked our glasses and took a drink. I didn't realise how thirsty I was, and before I realised it, my glass was empty. Carlos must have noticed me too because he leaned over and asked, "Wow, you must be thirsty."

I laughed and said, "I didn't realise how thirsty I was. I haven't had a drink since you bought me coffee this morning. Normally I drink a lot more than that, but I was distracted by my exam and then by Ryan."

Carlos nodded and then disappeared. I watched him walk over to the bar and return with a huge glass filled with ice and water. He placed it in front of me, and after he sat down, he leaned in smiling and said, "This will help with your thirst better than the beer did. Good thing it's non-alcoholic beer. None of us is actually old enough to drink, so Vince wouldn't have tried to push it by ordering real beer."

I nodded in agreement and said, "You're right. Water is better for hydration than beer, regardless of the alcohol content. Thanks."

I gulped down half of the water, and looked around the table, observing the group and how they interacted with one another. Vince and Christie seemed to be in their own little world. Tom, Bobby and Lester seemed to be teasing each other and trying to one-up each other by telling another embarrassing story. Molly was trying to follow their conversation, but she kept sneaking peaks at Jimmy. Whenever Molly wasn't looking Jimmy was sneaking peaks at Molly, and when I noticed this, I chuckled to myself.

Carlos was also quietly watching the group. He had also noticed the looks between Molly and Jimmy, and when I chuckled, he said, "You know, if you had three more friends like Molly and Christie, we could probably get these three over here to shut up for five minutes."

We laughed and I asked, "What makes you think I can't shut one of them up?"

The look on Carlos' face was priceless and easy enough to read. At first he was shocked by my statement. Next he was disappointed, then hurt, and finally resigned to something. I wasn't sure what he was forced to accept, but since he was so easy to read, I figured I'd try to find out.

I leaned forward, watching Tom, Bobby and Lester for a few moments. When I sat back, I turned to face Carlos and said, "On second thought, Tom would crush me, Bobby is far too serious, and Lester would leave me in the morning. I'm not really interested in that."

As I said this, the look of hope was followed by what I can only express as smugness was displayed across his face for me to see. I sat there, locked into eye contact with Carlos for a long time. Neither of us noticed a sudden hush fall over the table or the direction of the group's eyes shift.

The first indication of something wrong was when a voice interrupted our staring contest and a look of disgust crossed Carlos' face. We both looked up when a very gorgeous young woman with long and shiny dark brown hair whined, "Carlos, I thought we were supposed to meet for dinner tonight? I am so embarrassed and humiliated. You stood me up and didn't even have the decency to tell me. Now I find you out with these immature idiots and some sluts. How could you do this to me? What are our families going to think?"

Carlos looked around at the group and spoke quietly "Lucida, I tried to call you three times today. I finally left a message calling tonight off. Why would I want to take you out after finding you wrapped around another man?"

She tried to say something at this point, but he didn't let her interrupt, "You can't talk your way out of this Lucida, I saw you with my own eyes. I know our parents are good friends, but my parents will understand that I cannot be with an unfaithful woman. As for the people at this table, they are my friends. You have no right to speak of them in any manner, especially by calling them names. Please leave before you make a bigger scene."

Carlos turned his back on Lucida and picked up his beer. He started asking Lester about his disaster of a date from last weekend when I felt something tug at my hair. I turned my head and Lucida was attempting to pull my out of my chair by my hair.

I leaned sideways and stood up to face her. I am 5'7" tall, but Lucida was probably closer to 5'10". She towered over me. She sneered at me and once again tried to grab me by the back of the hair. I looked at her and said, "What is your problem?"

"You are my problem slut. You swooped in and stole my boyfriend before he even dumped me. My friend said he even went to breakfast with you this morning. I assume it was after you spent the night together, you slut."

"Actually Lucida, I only met Carlos this morning. As luck would have it, you turned your back on Carlos with my boyfriend. In the end, I think you guys did both Carlos and I a favour. We're both free and clear of a relationship that was more of a family obligation than a real partnership."

Carlos stood up beside me and backed up my story. "Lucida, please leave. You're making a scene and causing yourself more embarrassment. The end of our relationship is because you couldn't stay faithful. You have only yourself to blame. Stephanie has nothing to do with us. I only met her this morning, but we are now friends because of you and Ryan. You are just going to have to accept the fact that we are over, and you no longer have a say in what I do or whom I choose to do it with."

Lucida was furious with Carlos' statement. She attempted to step forward to slap me. Carlos tried to step between us as he noticed her raise her hand, but I was too quick for him. I put my arm up to block her weak slap and kicked her lightly in the shin. Lucida wailed in pain, trying to attract some attention. Bobby stood up and took a look at her shin and said, "Lucida, I think you should go home and put your leg up. Stephanie didn't really kick you that hard, but if you try something like that again, I'm sure she'll punch you hard enough to knock you into next week. It's safer if you just leave."

Lucida squared her shoulders, wiped her false tears from her face, turned and walked out of the bar. We were all surprised when the cheers from our table were augmented by those from neighbouring tables. They had all witnessed the altercation and seemed to have come down in support of us rather than the weeping woman routine.

Over the next half hour or so, people from neighbouring tables came over to express their support. One guy admitted that he knew Ryan and had witnessed him with other women on several occasions. He didn't know who his girlfriend was, but always felt sorry for her because it was obvious that Ryan was cheating on her.

Carlos heard similar stories about Lucida, so when the bell over the bar finally rang indicating last call, Carlos and I felt even more secure in the idea of our lives without Ryan and Lucida. It was for the best, and we both knew it.

We all decided that one last round wasn't really needed, so we gathered our things and headed out of the bar. Vince wanted to walk Christie home, and since Christie's apartment was on the way to my place and Molly's, we joined them.

I think that Jimmy wanted to spend more time talking to Molly. They each finally worked up the courage to talk to one another only after Lucida left. This left them little only a little time to get to know each other, so Tommy joined us for the walk home. Because Tommy joined us, the rest of the guys followed suit.

Vince and Christie walked side-by-side at the front. Bobby, Tom and Lester were next, followed by Molly and Jimmy. Carlos and I took our positions at the rear of the processional. We walked in silence for a few minutes and then Carlos finally said, "I find it funny that both of us were dating people our family liked, and they ended up cheating on us together. Now, we're both worried that our families will be angry with us. My Father is best friends with Lucida's Father. Our mothers are like sisters. They are going to be so disappointed with me."

I was watching where I was walking, so I didn't look up at Carlos when I replied, "I know what you mean. My mother loves Ryan. They have already discussed what type of wedding we should have, and he never even proposed. My mother even suggested that I drop out of college so I could make a better home for Ryan after this year. When I refused, my mother gave me the silent treatment for 3 months. After that didn't work, she started calling me and lecturing me so often that I turned off the answering service on my phone."

We shuffled on in silence for a few more minutes. When we reached Christie's apartment building, we all waited outside while Vince walked her up. While we were waiting, Carlos asked, "Steph, are you afraid that Ryan might try to hurt you again, once he finds out about your charges?"

I looked up at him and admitted "I have thought about it, but I'm sure he won't hurt my physically. He'll try to intimidate me first, and if that doesn't work, he'll go to my mother. She will use guilt to get me to drop the charges and I'm sure she'll try to get me to reconcile with him.

"I'm supposed to go back home for the summer, but after the events with Ryan, my Mother will make life unbearable for me."

Carlos was silent for a moment and then asked, "If you went home, what would you do with your apartment here, and what would you do for work?"

"I have already paid rent in advance for the next 3 months. I didn't want the hassle of packing up an apartment and trying to find one again next year. As for work, I'll probably get a part-time job at the bakery near where my parents live. I've worked there ever since I was 15."

"Well, if you're interested, my father owns a small accounting firm in Newark. I'm sure he could find something for you to do that would make use of your skills. I will ask him when I talk to him tomorrow."

"I can't ask you to do that Carlos. Your father will hate me on principle. I am part of the reason you and Lucida broke up."

"How do you see yourself at fault here? You had nothing to do with it."

"I couldn't keep Ryan happy, so he had to go elsewhere, and that's how he and Lucida came to be involved."

Carlos stopped walking and put his hands on my shoulders in much the same way that Ryan did earlier that day. Carlos however, wasn't hurting me. He was simply trying to get my full attention. He looked me straight in the eye and said "Ryan is a fool, and you are in no way responsible for his infidelity. I was very attentive to Lucida and her needs, but I don't consider it my fault that she cheated on me. We are the victims in this, not the cause. No matter what your mother says, you deserve better than him.

"I know my parents will be disappointed that Lucida and I broke up, but they will understand why. Trust and loyalty are important to my family and our culture. They won't be mad at me, just disappointed that they have lost their guaranteed 100% Cuban grandchildren. They would never expect me to stay with Lucida after knowing how she betrayed me. The circumstances of our relationship will have more impact on my parents and their friendships that it will have on my relationship with my parents."

I listened to Carlos as he talked, and when he was finished, I asked, "Is the possibility of a pure Cuban grandchild that important to your parents?"

Carlos laughed and said, "No, not at all. My parents love their culture, and have passed it on to us kids, but they have never once said or implied that any of us had to marry somebody who was Cuban. I think the reason they'll be disappointed about Lucida is simply because she is the only child of my father's best friend. He was the only man who escaped Cuba with my Father. Several others left with them, but my Father and Manuel were the only two to survive the journey. They have had a strong bond since, and when Lucida was born less than 6 months after me, our parents hoped that we'd end up together.

"My eldest sister married a black man, my brother married a white girl from Mexico and my second eldest sister is currently engaged to a professional surfer from California. His hair is so blonde that when his head gets wet, it looks like he's bald. I've only met him twice, and he had a fabulous tan from being out in the sun all day, every day."

I nodded when he finished and explained my parents a little more. "My Mother is Hungarian and my Father is Italian. Ryan is a good Italian Catholic, exactly what my mother wants for me. They want me to quit school and marry the first guy that comes along. It doesn't matter if I love him, or if he loves me. It only matters that he's from a good Italian Catholic family.

"I'm sure that when my mother hears I've broken things off with Ryan, she'll try to change my mind. It won't work, but I know she'll try."

"That's why you should let me talk to my father about you. He always hires one or two students over the summer, and I'm sure with your skills, you'd be perfect. "

He handed me his phone and said, "Type your number in my contacts list. I will talk to my Father tomorrow and then call you with the news, good or bad."

I took his phone, typed in my name and number and then handed it back. Carlos dialled my number, and as soon as my phone rang, he hung up. "There, now you have my phone number in case you need to contact me for any reason."

I smiled at him and we continued to walk side by side, following the rest of the group.

* * *

Once again, send me your review to let me know that you're interested in me continuing this story. As a bit of a sneak peek, the next chapter is called 'Revenge is not always so sweet.'

I look forward to reading what you thought about this chapter.


	4. Chapter 4 - Revenge is not Always Sweet

Wow, the reviews keep coming in quicker than I expect. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

**4. Revenge is not Always so Sweet**

When we arrived at my apartment building, the guys all wanted to escort me up, but I declined and thanked them all for a nice evening. I looked at Molly and said, "Please call me when you get home, so I know these guys didn't kidnap you and run away with you."

We all laughed at this and I waved to the group and made my way up, looking directly at Carlos before I turned. He smiled at me and mouthed, 'Call me.' I nodded, returned his smile and unlocked the door to my building.

As I waited for the elevator, I thought about my day. Under normal circumstances, when a girl finds out that her boyfriend cheated on her she'd be devastated. I on the other hand, was feeling relieved. It wasn't until now that I was able to fully understand my circumstances. I didn't love Ryan, nor did I really even like him. I was only with him because of my mother.

When the elevator opened, I walked on, pressed the button for my floor and spent the rest of the journey to my apartment trying to figure out a way to block my mother's attempts to get me and Ryan back together.

When I first opened the door of my apartment, I didn't notice anything out of place because I stayed in the hallway. When I walked down the hallway and into my bedroom that's when I noticed that the window was broken and that there was a note on the bed. I picked up the note by the corner and read.

_You will regret crossing me Bitch! You have ruined my life so I will ruin yours._

I looked at the letter for a few moments and replaced it back on the bed. I then walked through the rest of my apartment and noticed that many of my belongings were destroyed. I was angry, shocked and humiliated all at the same time, but I didn't know what to do.

My first thought was to call the police, but I needed a friend or two for support. I picked up my phone to call Molly, but saw Carlos' missed call from earlier when he gave me his number. I instinctively called that number and waited while the phone rang.

Carlos answered with a bit of a laugh and said, "I know I told you to call me, but I figured you'd wait a bit longer."

"Carlos, are you guys far away?"

He must have sensed something in my voice because he asked, "No, we're just at the next building. Why, what's wrong?"

"Somebody broke into my apartment. I wanted to call the police, but I didn't want to do it alone."

"We'll be right there. Molly is still with us, so she can get us to the right apartment. Hold tight."

After I hung up, I looked around and made a mental inventory of my belongings. I could see that several things were missing or broken, but I didn't want to touch anything until the police had a chance to look things over. I didn't want to dwell on who had done this. In the back of my mind I knew, but I didn't want to think about it too much. Luckily, I didn't have to dwell for long, because a knock at my door indicated that moral support had arrived.

I rushed to the door and pulled it open expecting to see Carlos, Molly and the rest of the guys. Instead, my building superintendent stood there looking apprehensive and holding a large folder.

"Miss Plum, I have never had the misfortune of having to do this before. I'm sorry to tell you that you have been asked to vacate your apartment by the end of the month. A complaint was filed against you that we cannot tolerate and the owners have decided to evict you."

He handed me the folder, apologised once again and left, just as Molly and the guys emerged from the elevator.

I was still in shock, so when Molly took the envelope out of my hand, I didn't even notice. I just stood there, staring into space. What could I possibly have done that could justify being kicked out of the apartment I had lived in for an entire year? I was a good tenant who always paid her rent on time. In fact, I had paid my next three months in advance.

Molly walked over to me, steered me back inside of my apartment and spoke to me softly. "Steph, it seems that somebody has complained that you are running a brothel out of your apartment. They cite various men coming in and out of your apartment at odd hours, and the owners have deemed you an unfit tenant. You have been evicted and they are giving you 8 days to pack up and leave."

I looked at Molly and then at each of the guys. The events of this evening since I got home were too much to for me to handle, and tears filled my eyes.

Molly put her arm around my shoulder and said, "Come on Steph, it'll be OK. My roommate has left for the summer, so you can stay with me. Let's not worry about this right now. We need to call the police and tell them about the break-in and the threats made against you."

I nodded and let Molly use my phone to call the police. While Molly was on the phone, Carlos came over to me and patted me on the shoulder. He looked at me for a few moments and said, "Do you think the complaint that got you evicted is related to the note left on the bed?"

I thought for a moment and said, "It might be, but whoever made the complaint must have done it much earlier today. The owners live in Europe and are 6 time zones ahead of us. I don't see how it could be related because the complaint must have been sent around the same time that I pressed charges against Ryan. My initial response when I saw the note was that it was Ryan. If the complaint and the break-in are related, I don't think it can be him."

Molly, the guys and I were all huddled in the hallway when the police arrived ten minutes later. They asked everyone but me to wait in the hall, and then walked through my apartment with me.

"Miss Plum, I'm Detective Carter. You filed a complaint against your boyfriend earlier today. Do you think this is related?"

I looked at him and said, "I'm not sure. I haven't seen Ryan since I pressed charges against him. I don't know if he is even still in town. His original plan was to head back to Trenton earlier this evening after our exam. His father owns a law firm there, and he was going to work for him over the summer."

"OK. We still haven't found him to arrest him for your complaint, so we'll check with Trenton PD to see if he is there. Can you go through your evening, so we can get a timeline of events?"

I nodded and started to explain how I came here after the exam to find Ryan in the apartment. He assaulted me and then Molly and Christie arrived and we went to the police station. Afterwards, we went to Grifters and met up with friends.

"Were you or your friends drinking?"

"We were drinking non-alcoholic beer because none of us is old enough to drink legally. We sat around and talked most of the evening."

"Did anything out of the ordinary happen while you were at the bar?"

I thought for a moment and looked over at Carlos who was standing at the door listening to the detective and me. He gave me a barely perceptible nod, so I said, "As it turns out, Ryan cheated with the girlfriend of one of my friends. She turned up at the bar to yell at her boyfriend and accused me of stealing Carlos away from her. She attempted to hit me and I defended myself by blocking her arm and kicking her in the shin. My friends told her to leave and she did."

"What time did this happen?"

I looked around the room and saw that my friends had come back in. Molly broke the silence and said, "It was around 11PM. I remember looking at my watch just before Lucida walked in."

"What time did you arrive home at your apartment?"

"I arrived here just before midnight. We didn't stick around after they rang the bell for last call and it's only about a ten minute walk from there to here."

"OK, we will have to talk to this woman. Can you tell me her name?"

Carlos spoke at that point and said, "Her name is Lucida Martinez. She lives in the first year campus housing."

"Thanks. I am going to call the forensics team to come and dust for finger prints. That will likely take a few hours, so I'd suggest that you find somewhere else to stay for the night."

I nodded and was about to walk out the door when Molly walked over to the cop and said, "There's something else that you should know about. Stephanie was just given this when she got home this evening." She handed him the folder and I watched as he read the contents.

He turned to me and asked, "Is there any truth to this allegation?"

I laughed and said, "Of course not. I have a full class load and spend all my free time in the evenings in the computer lab at school or studying with friends. The only men who have ever been in this apartment before tonight were my Father, the Super and Ryan. I also have a very low bank balance at the moment, which would not be likely if I had that sort of income coming in on a regular basis."

"Do you think these are related?"

"I'm not sure. As far as I'm aware, the owners of this building are living in Europe. There's a 6 hour time difference between there and here, so if they were truly involved, this eviction complaint was filed long before the confrontation with Lucida and within moments of me pressing charges against Ryan."

"Can I keep this letter from your landlords? I want to contact them and discuss this situation. I can't promise that they'll change their minds about evicting you, but I think somebody is trying very hard to make your life a living hell.

If you come to the station tomorrow morning, you can sign your statement and we will have a plan on where to go from there. For now, please give me your phone number so I can contact you in the event that we find something before seeing you in the morning."

I wrote my number in his notebook, thanked him for his help, and left with Molly and the guys. We walked in silence for most of the journey, but when we approached Molly's apartment, Carlos said to the group, "I think we should all go up to ensure that Molly's apartment did not receive the same treatment as Stephanie's. If all is clear, we'll leave you ladies to rest and we'll head home."

We all agreed, so the 8 of us squeezed into the elevator and rode up to the 6th floor where Molly lived. When it was clear that Molly's apartment was safe from intrusion, the guys bid us good night and Jimmy kissed Molly on the cheek before leaving.

Once alone, I sighed and sat on the nearest chair. Molly came over and sat beside me, handing me a glass of orange juice. She looked at me and said, "We'll figure things out Steph, you don't have to worry. Even if you do have to leave your apartment, you can stay here as long as you need. I don't really get along well with roommate, so I'm sure she would jump at the chance to find somewhere new. She's actually friends with your roommate, so maybe they can find a place together."

I groaned at that comment. I never even thought about my roommate. She was gone for the summer and was expecting her apartment to still be there when she returned. We got along alright, but probably because neither of us spent much time there. She will be furious when I tell her that we've been evicted because of a false claim that I'm selling sex out of our apartment. I shook my head at it all and decided to head to bed when Molly said, "Come on Steph let's get some sleep. We can't really do anything tonight. We might as well get some rest so we can tackle things head-on in the morning."

We each took our turn in the bathroom, and despite the day's events rattling around my brain, I fell asleep moments after my head hit the pillow.

* * *

As per usual, I'll publish the next chapter after sufficient reviews. Let me know what you think.


	5. Chapter 5 - Opportunity Knocks

Another chapter for you eager beavers. I hope you enjoy.

Usual disclaimer applies

* * *

**5. Opportunity Knocks**

I awoke a little later than usual the next morning to my ringing cell phone. I looked at the caller id, but since I didn't recognize the number, I let it go to voice mail. If it was important, they'd leave a message.

There was always the possibility that it was my Mother calling from a friend's phone so I wouldn't recognise the number and ignore her. I definitely did not want to talk to my mother. I was not in the mood to deal with her. When my phone beeped to indicate that I have a voice message, I picked up the phone and dialled my voice mail box.

"Miss Plum, my name is Amanda and I'm calling from _Manoso Finances_ in Newark. We were hoping that you might be available to come in and talk to Mr Manoso about a summer placement with our company at your earliest convenience."

The remainder of the message contained her contact details, but I wasn't quick enough to catch all of the information. I listened to the message a 2nd time and wrote down her details and then hung up. As I was staring at my phone in shock, a text message came in, causing me to jump at the noise and vibration.

I looked down and saw a message from Carlos.

_I spoke to father earlier, he has summer student job that sounds perfect for you. He will contact you sometime today. Good luck._

I laughed and replied to the text.

_I got call from his office already. I didn't know your surname was Manoso? Your father's firm is famous. I didn't recognize number, so let it go to voice mail. I will call back now. Thanks Carlos, I owe you one. :)_

I called Amanda back and set up an appointment for 1:30 PM. This would just give me time to run to the police station before heading to Newark via the train for my appointment. I'd have to grab something quick for lunch when I got there, but I was confident that there would be plenty of time.

I showered and had to borrow some clothes from Molly, but I looked presentable enough for both a visit to the campus police station and a job interview in Newark. Molly offered to accompany me to the police station and I readily accepted. I knew I was only going to sign a statement, but I didn't want to do it alone.

When we arrived at the station, I was surprised to see both Jimmy and Carlos sitting in the waiting room. When we walked in, Molly blushed and looked at me with a guilty look on her face. "I'm sorry Steph. I mentioned to Jimmy that we were stopping here before you headed to Newark. In our rush to get ready, I forgot to mention that he and Carlos were going to join us for moral support."

I looked at the guys and nodded my head and smiled as I made my way to the front desk to ask for Detective Carter. We were instructed to wait, and 15 minutes later, Detective Carter came out and ushered us back to his office. "I'm sorry, but I only have seats for two of you."

Molly and I sat in the seats and Jimmy and Carlos stood behind us as the Detective handed me a piece of paper with my statement. I read through it and agreed that the sequence of events recorded were correct. I signed and dated the statement and handed it back.

"OK, I have a small update on your case. I was able to contact the owners of your building this morning. They told me that they were sent a criminal record and a police report as evidence of your activities. I was sent a faxed copy of those documents and they are definitely forgeries. When I notified the owners of this fact, they were extremely embarrassed and they have rescinded your eviction. You should receive some paperwork to that fact in the next few days.

"The forensics team has finished with your apartment but we found nothing unexpected. We only found your fingerprints in the apartment Miss Plum. Either you are a thorough housekeeper or whoever broke in wiped down every single surface in the apartment."

I laughed at that and said, "I'm not the cleanest person in the world, but I definitely did not dust after my friends came over to get ready tonight and going to the police station. It must have been the person who broke in."

Detective Carter nodded and continued, "I have also contacted Trenton PD. A young new recruit named Officer Morelli is our liaison in our search for Ryan Preston."

I must have opened my eyes in shock because Detective Ryan asked, "I take it you know Officer Morelli?"

"That depends. I know a few Morelli men, but I can't imagine any of them joining the police."

"Apparently he just finished his service in the Navy."

"Oh my God, that's Joe. We don't really get along. The last time I saw him, I hit him with my Dad's car."

Detective Carter laughed and said, "That shouldn't be a problem. Detective Morelli is simply supposed to locate and arrest Mr Preston."

"That won't last long. Joe and Ryan know each other. They went t high school together and soon as they talk, they'll bond over hating me."

"I assure you Miss Plum, we will find Mr Preston and he will have to account for his actions. If Officer Morelli is unable to bring him in within three days, we'll request another officer."

I thanked the detective and left the station with Molly, Jimmy and Carlos on my heels. When we exited, I was about to say goodbye and head to Newark, but Carlos pulled me away from the group and asked, "Hey Steph, how are you getting to Newark?"

"Since I'm a student, I was going to rely on the old standby of public transportation."

"If you don't mind waiting about 20 minutes, I am driving to Newark. I borrowed my Mom's car last week so I could move home for the summer. I'm almost finished clearing out my dorm room and then I'll be ready to go."

"That would be much better than the inevitable train, bus and taxi mix and match I was imagining. Since you're driving me, can I do anything to help with your dorm room?"

"If you want to come and keep me company, you are welcome, but I don't think you need to help me. I should be done by now, but I am very good at procrastinating. Perhaps you can motivate me to hurry up."

He smiled at me and I was unable to look away. He was a handsome guy, but when he smiles, it transforms him into something ethereal or supernatural. I don't know how long we stood there staring at each other, but it was long enough for our friends to grow impatient.

Molly cleared her throat and said, "C'mon Steph, you're going to be late if you don't get a move on."

I shook my head and broke eye contact with Carlos to look at Molly. I knew I should say something in reply, but my brain seemed to be empty. I was saved from further embarrassment by Carlos. He walked toward where Molly and Jimmy were standing and said, "I've offered Stephanie a ride to Newark. I'm moving back home for the summer and I'll be leaving as soon as I can load the car and hand in my keys. We'll get to Newark with plenty of time to spare."

Molly looked at me as is she was trying to decide if it was a good idea for me to get into a car with a guy I'd known for a single day. When I smiled to try and reassure her that I trusted Carlos, she shrugged and said, "That's very generous of you Carlos. I have done that trip before, and I know from experience that it adds unnecessary stress to a journey.

"I've got to get to my own job. Today is my first day and I don't want to be late."

Looking directly at me, Molly said, "Call me after your interview to tell me all about it Steph. Good luck and I'll talk to you later."

She then turned to Jimmy, said something that I couldn't hear and kissed him on the cheek before heading back to her apartment.

Since I had everything I needed for my trip into Newark, Carlos, Jimmy and I walked across town to Carlos' residence building. Jimmy actually lived with his family in New Brunswick, so when we got to Carlos' building, he split off from us, wishing me luck.

* * *

More to come after more reviews. Let me know what you think so far.


	6. Chapter 6 - Embarrassment

Another new chapter. I'll run out of prepared content soon so don't hate me when the posts slow down.

Enjoy and remember that I don't own the JE characters.

* * *

**6. Embarrassment**

When Carlos opened the door to his dorm room, I don't know what I was expecting, but this wasn't that. The room was tidy, two duffel bags were packed and sitting by the door, an overflowing back pack filled with books and papers sat on the bed and a laptop bag sat on the desk. The trash was empty, the shelves were bare and there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere.

I turned and looked at Carlos and said, "I thought you said you still had work to do to pack? From what I can see, everything is ready to go."

Carlos laughed and said, "Almost everything."

He walked over to his closet and opened the door with a flourish. I looked in and saw that the shelves were covered in neat piles of notebooks and papers.

"I can't fit my course work into my bags, and I am reluctant to throw it away just yet. It might come in useful if I come back next year."

I nodded in understanding. I was the same with my notes and books. An idea popped into my head so I started rummaging around in my handbag. A few moments later, I pulled out three strong plastic bags that I always carried with me and handed them to Carlos.

"Why are you carrying bags around with you?"

I laughed and replied, "I don't like the bags they give out at the grocery stores, so I use these. They also come in handy if I have to carry something unexpected."

"These will be extremely helpful. I was just going to carry them down to the car and hope they stayed organised during the trip, but that was probably a bad plan. This is better, thanks."

I smiled and helped hold open each of the bags as he neatly organised his notebooks and papers in each. When we were finished, he looked around the room and said, "I guess the next step is to carry my stuff down to the car. When we get down, if it's OK with you, I'll leave you at the front to guard my things while I bring the car around."

I nodded and agreed to his plan and picked up the three bags of notes and his laptop bag. He was able to carry his backpack and the two duffle bags so we didn't need to make a second trip. He locked his door, placed his keys in an envelope, and left them at the front desk on the way out.

While I was waiting for him to return with the car, I was looking at my fingernails, trying to decide if it was worth trying file them before my interview. I knew I had a manicure set in my handbag, but I wasn't sure if Carlos' car was the best place to do that.

I was brought out of my internal dilemma when I heard my name spoken. I looked up and saw Lester, Bobby and Tom walking toward me.

"Hey Steph, what brings you by here this morning?"

"Hi guys. I'm mooching a lift off Carlos. I have a job interview in Newark this afternoon and he was kind enough to offer a ride in exchange for a bit of manual labour."

Carlos walked up and interrupted us saying, "The ride was offered as a courtesy. No exchange was necessary."

I laughed at his reaction, so I said, "Carlos is right. The manual labour of carrying Carlos' belonging was perfectly voluntary. I was here and I couldn't stand by and watch a friend work alone when I could easily help."

Lester laughed at my reply and asked, "Once you guys load up the car, do you think you could spare 5 minutes to help us? We have a sofa that we need to carry down three flights of stairs. The three of us can lift it alright, but we can't see around it well enough to turn it when necessary. An extra set of arms and eyes would be very helpful."

Carlos looked at me and said, "We have plenty of time, what do you say?"

I smiled, turned to the guys and said, "I'd be happy to help. Lead the way."

The guys led us to the third building past Carlos' Residence. We climbed two flights of stairs to find a sofa wedged at one of the turns. I looked at it and could see where they went wrong. The turned it without lifting it high enough to clear the railing.

"Guys, each of you grab a corner and I'll direct your movements."

Tom and Carlos took the bottom corners, forcing Lester and Bobby to climb over the sofa to get to the top. I instructed Tom and Carlos to lift their end as high as they could and swing it to the left while Bobby and Lester lifted their end and held it steady.

After about 5 minutes of turns, raises and lowering, the sofa was out of the stairwell and loaded in the truck that Bobby borrowed from a friend.

"Thanks Steph, you were just what we needed. Carlos, we'll talk soon."

The guys climbed into the cab of their truck and left Carlos and I watching them as they drove away.

I smiled and turned to walk back to Carlos' car, laughing to myself about at how easily the guys lifted the sofa, but unable to navigate it around tight corners. Carlos must have noticed me laughing because he said, "Those jokers had no problems getting that sofa up to their common room. I have a feeling they faked their difficulty just so they could enlist your assistance. They all really liked you last night, and they especially liked how you dealt with Lucida. None of them really liked her. They avoided spending time with me if she was around."

I thought about this for moment, worried that they saw me as some sort of replacement for Lucida, but I didn't have long to think about that before Carlos continued with his story. "I think Lester likes the idea of a spending time with me and the guys without Lucida, just us guys you know? Lucida never really let me just hang out. She was always around, and the only time I really had to myself was when I studied. Suffice it to say, I studied a lot. In hind sight I should have stood up to her, but she always had such a temper tantrum if I tried to broach the subject that it was just easier to avoid it and put up with her."

I didn't know how to respond to his story, so I just stayed quiet. When we reached his car, we jumped in and headed to Newark. During the journey, we talked a little bit about my break in and how my family would react if I didn't go home for the summer. I knew my mother would be disappointed and upset with me, but I refused to worry about that until I actually had a job to worry about.

The morning rush hour was long past, so we managed to make it to the outskirts of Newark in about 25 minutes. I looked at the clock on the dashboard when we passed the sign welcoming us to Newark and noticed that it was only 11:30. I looked over at Carlos and said, "Thanks again for doing this Carlos, I really appreciate it."

"No problem, I was going this way anyway. I've actually enjoyed having the company."

I smiled at him and asked, "Since it's still early, and my appointment isn't for a few hours, would you let me take you to lunch?"

"We can stop somewhere for lunch, but you don't have to pay for me. I already have a summer job lined up."

"I know I don't have to, but I want to. Just as long as we don't go somewhere too expensive, I am an unemployed student."

Carlos laughed and replied, "At the moment, I'm sure you'll have a job in a few hours. I know a diner not too far from my father's building downtown. I can park at his office and we can walk the two blocks and take as much time as we want before your interview."

"That sounds good, just as long as I don't keep you from anything important. I don't want to monopolise any more of your time today."

"Don't worry about that, nobody is expecting me anywhere until later this afternoon, so I'm free to keep you company for as long as you want."

Because I was satisfied with his answer, and slightly relieved that I wouldn't have to kill a few hours in a relatively unknown place, I let the subject rest. Less than ten minutes later, we parked and headed for lunch. We walked into a small diner, and since we beat the lunch rush, we were able to pick one of the booths by the window.

I watched the waitresses behind the counter drool over Carlos as we walked to our table. Since he had his back to them, he couldn't see them staring, but I could, and for some reason it made me feel more confident. They thought he was my boyfriend, and they hated me for it. I wasn't going to encourage them by telling the truth.

I studied the menu for a few minutes, and after discussing our choices, we closed our menus to show that we were ready to order. After a few minutes of waiting, a waitress came over to take our order. She smiled at Carlos and asked him what he'd like to drink and then eat. She made no indication that she had even noticed me, so Carlos said, "Babe, what do you want?"

I was shocked that he used such a familiar nickname for me, but I recovered quickly and gave the waitress my order. She wrote it on her notepad barely looking away from Carlos the whole time. He thanked her, and she reluctantly walked away from our table, leaving me slightly annoyed.

I looked at Carlos, who was acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had just occurred. I wondered why he was so nonchalant about the whole thing, so I asked, "Does that sort of things happen all the time? Are all other people who accompany you completely invisible to waitresses?"

Carlos looked at me and laughed out loud. It was a magnificent thing to behold, but it didn't last as long as I'd have liked.

"You should have seen how Lucida reacted when we went out together. She would get very annoyed and whined the whole time. She even complained to the owner of one restaurant, but she was so rude about it, they asked her never to return."

"It got to the point where she'd book ahead and ask for a male waiter or an older waitress. I was more embarrassed by her behaviour than I ever was of the attention I received from strangers. I guess she was just so self-obsessed that she made everything about her."

"I have to be honest Carlos. I can actually sympathise with how she felt. I'm just your friend, and I felt completely invisible and unwanted when she came to the table. But on the other hand, I can understand why the waitress was a bit overwhelmed."

At that point, our waitress came over carrying a tray with our drinks. She took her time putting Carlos' drink in front of him. First putting down a napkin as a coaster, and then placing his sweating ice water on the napkin. When she was done with his drink, she threw a napkin in my direction, hurriedly placed my drink at the furthest edge of the table and walked away, throwing one last glance at Carlos as she left.

Carlos slid my drink towards me and then said, "I'm sorry that being with me has caused you any discomfort. I don't like this attention, but I have gotten used to it. The guys even complain about it when we go out. "

"They're all over there shooting daggers at me with every look. I am starting to find the humour in this situation, especially after seeing the look on her face when you asked me what I wanted to eat."

Carlos laughed and asked, "Do you mean when I called you Babe?"

I nodded, so he continued, "I hoped that they'd take the hint that I'm not interested in them. I'm here with you, and I'm going to spend our time together ensuring that you are ready for your meeting this afternoon with my father."

"That's a good idea. What can you tell me about your father?"

"My father is actually a really nice guy. He isn't one of those people who are always serious, but he really values hard work, ingenuity and loyalty. He also likes people who stand up for themselves and fight for something they want.

"I didn't share any of the details about your problems with my father, but I did mention that you stood up to someone who did you wrong. He was impressed that you didn't let Ryan push you around or get away with what he did. As I said, he doesn't know the details, but he does know you stood up for yourself against somebody that should have had your back, but betrayed you.

"He's very smart and can read almost anyone. When I was growing up, I could never get away with lying to my father. He always knew. I don't know how, but he just knew."

I thought for a moment, and when I saw our waitress approaching with our food, I waited until she was within earshot, smiled brightly and said, "Let's eat now and talk more about family later."

"Good idea Babe, I'm starving. We can talk about all that practice we need to start our family later."

I completely missed the waitress putting my food in front of me, ogling Carlos and walking away. I was absolutely stunned by Carlos' and all I managed to do was blush, causing Carlos to laugh much longer than the last time. I wasn't able to look at him this time, so I pulled my plate toward me and started eating, taking comfort in the familiar flavours.

When Carlos finally quieted down he said, "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you Steph. I was only trying to elaborate on your comment."

I was confused, and it must have shown on my face because Carlos smiled and said, "You saw the waitress coming and said that we should eat now and talk about family later. I just took it one step further and implied that we were talking about our own family."

I was still blushing, but I managed to squeak out, "Carlos, I meant that we could talk about your father later, not a family of our own, and especially not practicing for that family."

"I know Babe, I was just teasing you. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you. I'll try not to do it again or at least not in front of other people."

I nodded at his apology and returned to my food. While we were eating, the waitress came by three times to ask Carlos how he liked his food. The first two times he politely answered that everything was fine. The third time, he was beginning to get annoyed, so when I let out a low moan just as the waitress came by to ask, he said, "I think my wife likes it because the noises she is making now are significantly quieter versions of the noises she makes when we're in private. If you know what I mean." He winked at her, making her turn and walk away quickly.

I swallowed hastily and started to cough. Carlos chuckled and pushed my glass of water closer to me and said, "You do make erotic sounds when you eat, so I had to take advantage of the perfectly timed moan you let out just as she approached. The look on her face was hilarious, but the look on your face was priceless."

I thought for a moment about all of the things he had said today and smiled inwardly before saying, "You should count yourself lucky that I'm not in the market for a family or a husband, or you might find yourself in a situation that makes you uncomfortable mister."

I tried to keep a stern look on my face, but the smile that emerged on Carlos' face made me crack and we both broke into laughter. For the next 45 minutes, we talked and laughed about nothing in particular, so when it was 1:05, we gathered our belongings and I paid the bill, leaving a little extra for the tip. I didn't want to be stingy, but I wasn't overly generous. I left the exact change for a 20% tip and Carlos placed his arm around my shoulder as we walked out.

As soon as we were away from the diner, I twisted so Carlos' arm was no longer across my shoulders. He dropped it to his side, smiled, and chuckled. We arrived at his father's building with ten minutes to spare. Carlos knew his way around the building so he assured the receptionist that he would escort me to the waiting area upstairs.

When we exited the elevator on the 3rd floor where Carlos' father had his office, Carlos was warmly greeted by a woman. He turned to me and said, "Stephanie, this is Amanda. You probably spoke earlier today to arrange this meeting."

I shook Amanda's hand and said, "Yes, it's nice to put a face with the name Amanda. I'm glad to meet you."

A booming voice interrupted our greetings saying, "Is that my youngest son I hear?"

Moments later, an older version of Carlos emerged, smiling as he embraced Carlos, who said, "It's good to see you Papa. It has only been a couple of weeks, but it seems like longer."

Carlos' father looked at me and asked Carlos, "Who is this young beauty?"

"Papa, this is Stephanie Plum. Steph, this is my father, Ricardo Manoso."

I looked at Ricardo and held out my hand to shake his. Instead of shaking my hand, he took it in both of his, raised it to his lips and kissed it, causing me to blush slightly.

"It's very nice to meet you dear. Please come in so we can talk." He looked at Carlos and said, "Will you wait? I wanted to talk to you before you head home? We shouldn't be that long."

"Sure Papa. I'll keep Amanda company until you are finished."

* * *

More to come. Please review and I'll post more.


	7. Chapter 7 - A Foot in the Door

Thanks for sticking around. Enjoy the next chapter.

Usual disclaimer applies.

* * *

**7. A Foot in the Door**

After following Ricardo into his office, he indicated that I should sit in a chair that sat in front of his desk. He walked around and sat behind his desk and stared at me for at least two minutes before he spoke.

I was wondering if he was expecting me to talk, but he finally relieved the tension by saying, "Carlos tells me that you are currently majoring in Finance as well as Marketing. That's a hefty workload for a young person. Why don't you tell me why you have retained both subjects?"

This was a question that I had to answer a lot, but it was usually because my mother wasn't happy with her daughter going to college, let alone working towards two divergent career paths. I took a deep breath and said, "It's relatively simple in my mind. I am really good at the mathematics involved in accounting and finances. The business perspective seems like second nature to me, so it makes sense to me to be qualified in that area.

"The marketing side of things boils down to my enjoyment of graphic design. I really enjoy working with images and messages and coming up with something unique that hasn't been seen before.

"One part comes naturally and I enjoy the technical aspects. The other holds my creative interests."

Ricardo smiled and said, "That is a very mature attitude for someone as young as you. I hope your friends and family appreciate this and support you in every way they can."

My smile faltered at the mention of my family, but Ricardo didn't seem to notice, so I replied, "I have a lot of support. I have two very close friends and one of them studies finance and the other studies marketing. We support each other, but since I am taking both subjects, I pull us together."

"Carlos has also mentioned something about a problem you recently experienced where you were forced to stand up for yourself. I don't expect you to share any details that you are not comfortable with, but can you tell me why you felt compelled to make the stand you did?"

This was also an easy question. I looked Ricardo in the eye and said, "I was betrayed by someone close to me. I confronted this person, and when they lashed out, I stood up for myself. It wasn't pride, anger or revenge that spurred me on. It was the knowledge that if I didn't make a stand here and now, it would happen over and over again. If I let it happen again, it would be my fault the next time, and I couldn't live with that."

Ricardo's face was hard to read at this point, but he did nod and then said, "I know what you mean about betrayal. My best friend and I are currently up in arms because of that very subject. I hope we can work through it, but it will take time. Loyalty is something very important to me and my family, so I understand your position."

He smiled and then asked, "If Carlos hadn't mentioned this to me, what would you have done for the summer?"

"I probably would have worked in the bakery in Trenton that I've worked at since I was 15 years old. In order to make enough money for school, I'd probably work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week."

"That's a harsh life when you work so hard during the school year."

"It is what it is. My parents can't or won't help with my tuition and fees and student loans only go so far. I want to finish my degree, and if working 12 to 18 hours a day is what it takes, that's what I'll do."

Ricardo was nodding at my answer. He leaned forward on his elbows and said, "What if you didn't have to work those long hours, but could make the same amount of money, if not more?"

I looked at him, smiled, and said, "Where do I sign up? No. Wait, what exactly do you have in mind? I don't want to agree to something before I know what it is."

Ricardo laughed and said, "Every summer, we hire up to 5 college students in their area of study. Since you have two specific areas of interest, I'd like to suggest that you split your time between the two different departments. Perhaps you could work mornings in the accounting department and afternoons working with our marketing team. How would that sound Miss Plum?"

"That sounds amazing. Don't you need to see a Resume or something before offering me this kind of role?"

"Normally, we do ask for a CV, but in your case, I think I'm confident enough by your attitude and demeanour that we can wave that necessity. It's one of the perks I'm able to provide, since I own the company. I like you dear, and I think you'll be a wonderful asset to my company this summer."

"I appreciate your faith in my abilities, sight unseen, but I feel that you should know something before you agree to hire me."

Ricardo put on his serious face and asked, "What is it dear?"

"I think that you should know that I am partly responsible for Lucida and Carlos' problems."

"Stephanie, Carlos explained to me how the two of you met, and the reasons. You are not to blame for Lucida or your boyfriend's behaviour. I won't lie, I'm disappointed that they are no longer together, but that's a silly old world pride that doesn't really belong in this modern world. I do not blame you and I wouldn't let that interfere with you working here."

"I should also warn you about my mother. She is very old fashioned and doesn't really approve of me going to college. She has wanted me to quite ever since I started so I could stay home to marry and take care of Ryan. The fact that I'm not coming home might mean that she'll show up here and make a scene. At the very least, she'll annoy Amanda and the receptionist by calling in an attempt to talk me into moving back home."

"I will instruct people to direct her calls to me personally. I will tell her about all the good things you are doing, and how much we value you. Carlos has said many good things about you, and if there is one thing I know about my son, he's a good judge of character. Speaking of which, we shouldn't keep him waiting. We can draw up the paperwork right now and you can take it with you. You'll just have to sign it and bring it back with you on Monday to start your job."

I looked at Ricardo and said, "I can't thank you enough. Who knew that running into your son yesterday would have such an effect on my life. I promise that I will work hard so that you don't regret your decision."

"I'm sure you'll make me proud dear. I like you, and I look forward to working with you."

When Ricardo and I emerged from his office, Carlos was sitting on the edge of Amanda's desk. They were talking and laughing as we approached. Amanda smiled and waited for Ricardo to speak before jumping to action. "Amanda, can you please call down to HR and get that paperwork started? I'd like Miss Plum to take it with her when she leaves today."

"Of course, it will probably take about 30 minutes, so why don't you go take a seat and I'll bring in some coffee after I speak to HR."

"That's a great idea. Stephanie, Carlos, please join me in our break room for a coffee. I might even be able to scrounge up some cake if there's some left from this morning. It was Marco's birthday."

I walked between Ricardo and Carlos into the break room. Because it was the middle of the afternoon, it was empty so we had an unobstructed view of the remains of a very chocolate birthday cake. My eyes must have jumped out of my head because Carlos laughed and said, "It's a good thing we didn't have time for dessert at lunch. I think chocolate cake is one of Steph's favourite things."

I blushed at his comment and Ricardo chuckled quietly before saying, "I'm also glad that there is cake left. I didn't have a chance to grab a piece earlier and it is one of my favourites as well."

I smiled at Ricardo and then stuck my tongue out at Carlos when Ricardo had his back turned. Before Carlos was able to make any sort of comeback, Ricardo said, "That's enough children. There is enough cake for everyone."

We all laughed at this and Carlos and I joined Ricardo at a table. He handed us each a plate that was holding a generous slice of cake. Ricardo sliced a fourth slice and set it on the table with us. As soon as Amanda entered the room to get the coffee started, Ricardo motioned to the cake and invited her to join us.

While we drank coffee and ate coffee, Amanda explained a few things about the building's security and staff. I would need to get an employee badge that would allow me in and out of any areas I was allowed to venture. They also explained that I'd have to attend a new employee induction that would take place my first day. This was standard for all employees, and after the course, Amanda would take me around and introduce me to the people I'd be working with each day.

When our coffee and cake was finished, Amanda received a phone call letting us know that my paperwork was finished. We all stood and walked out to Amanda's desk. Ricardo looked at me and said, "It was a pleasure to meet you Stephanie. I look forward to you joining our company."

"Thanks. I am really excited myself. I will be here on Monday with bells on."

Ricardo laughed and then said to Carlos, "Son, your mother is expecting you for dinner this evening. Please tell me that you can make it."

Carlos looked at his watch and replied, "I had planned on it, but I have to drive Stephanie back to New Brunswick. I can't promise I'll be back in time."

I was surprised at this because Carlos had never mentioned driving me home, so I said, "Carlos, you don't need to drive me home. There are these new modern things called buses and trains. I can easily get myself home."

Before Carlos could respond, Ricardo said, "Nonsense, why don't you bring Stephanie to dinner and then take her home. I'm sure my wife Maria would love to meet you."

I was panicking now, so I blurted out "I couldn't possibly impose on you and your family like that. I'll be fine to get home on my own."

Ricardo looked me directly in the eye and said, "It's no imposition at all. Besides, Maria likes to show off her cooking skills, and for someone who enjoys her food as much as you do, you'll be quite welcome."

I looked over at Carlos, who seemed to have gone pale at his father's mention of my enjoyment of food. I narrowed my eyes at him and watched as he blushed slightly. I looked back at Ricardo and said, "I guess I should accept your generous offer. Thank you very much."

Ricardo smiled at me and then turned to Carlos, "Please call your mother before you head over. Since you have her car, she may need you to pick up some things on your way home."

Carlos nodded, and with a final goodbye, he walked back into his office.

I turned and looked at Carlos with narrowed eyes and said, "What did you tell your father about me and my enjoyment of food?"

Carlos looked a bit sheepish, but he said, "I simply explained that you are not afraid to acknowledge when you like something of the culinary arena. I didn't mention anything about the noises you seem to make when I'm around when you eat."

"Those noises have nothing to do with you mister. It is all about the food."

Carlos smiled and said, "You wound me with your harsh words Steph. I need to be alone for a few moments. Please excuse me."

I laughed at his implied pain and picked up the folder that contained my paperwork from Amanda's desk. She looked at me and said, "Those Manoso men can be quite a handful at times. Young Carlos seems to know exactly what to say to push your buttons. Be careful there, or he'll worm his way into your heart before you know it."

"Carlos and I are friends Amanda, there's no need to worry. Besides, I have a feeling that now he's no longer attached to Lucida, he and his friends will take full advantage on the Newark female population."

Amanda maintained a look of innocence on her face and said, "You my Dear can now count yourself a member of the Newark female population."

"Only during the day, I still live in New Brunswick. My friends are there, and my life is there."

The expression on Amanda's face changed from one of smug innocence to a sweet smile when Carlos walked back into the room. He looked at me and said, "Mama needs us to stop at the deli on the way home to pick up a few things. Are you ready?"

I nodded and tucked the folder with my paperwork into my handbag and turned to say goodbye to Amanda. Carlos kissed her on the cheek and promised to stop by for a visit next week. Amanda walked us to the elevator, and waved as we stepped into the empty car.

As soon as the doors closed, I said, "I'm really sorry Carlos, I don't want to impose on your family this evening. I especially didn't intend for you to drive me all the way back to New Brunswick."

Carlos turned to me, looked me directly in the eye and replied, "I told you that my father would like you. He never invites people he doesn't like to dinner. He did that on his own, without consulting me.

"As for the drive home, I was originally planning on spending the evening with the guys, but now I'm stuck spending time with my parents and eating with a new friend. It's not the evening I had planned, but I think I'll get by, especially if I get to be near you when you eat my mother's cooking. She is amazing, and her food is as good as it gets."

"Was that supposed to make me feel better?" I asked, as we exited the elevator and walked through the underground parking garage toward the car. "Because I don't feel better, I feel worse. I'm keeping you away from a night out with the guys, I'm forcing you to eat with your parents and now you have to drive all the way back to New Brunswick at your father's insistence."

"Stephanie, I love my parents and I actually enjoy spending time with them. The guys won't miss me, so there's nothing to worry about there. As for driving you home, I actually like driving. I don't get to drive very often, so I'm really taking advantage of your presence in order to spend some time on the road."

We climbed into the car and were silent as Carlos navigated the narrow aisles of cars and corners of the exit ramp. Once we exited the garage, Carlos reached over and turned on the stereo at a low volume and continued his statement from earlier.

"To tell you the truth, Lester seemed kind of relieved when I called to tell him I wasn't joining them tonight."

"Why would Lester be relieved by your absence Carlos?"

"I guess he didn't want the competition. When I was with Lucida, every time we went out, she was with us. She was very possessive, so nobody was in doubt that I was taken. Now that I'm single again, Lester probably thinks he will have to compete with me for the ladies."

I laughed and said, "Oh, I get it. I suppose he is right though. You'll be quite the hit with the single ladies when you and the guys go out now that you don't have Lucida scaring them away."

I realised that he probably wasn't comfortable talking like that with me, not just because we didn't know each other very well, but because I was a female. I didn't attempt to push the conversation, so I sat and watched the traffic as we progressed through it.

Carlos was silent for a few minutes and the next time he spoke, it was about a different subject. "I have to get a few things from the deli near my parent's place. You can come in with me or stay in the car, it's up to you."

I thought for a moment and said, "If you don't mind, I'd like to come in. I like going into new places like that, just to see what's different."

Carlos smiled and said, "This one will be really interesting for you then. It's owned by a Cuban couple and most of their customers come from Cuba or other South American countries."

My eyes lit up and I said, "Does this mean that your mother is going to cook a typical Cuban meal tonight? I've never actually had anything Cuban, or at least if I did, I didn't know it. My mother is a very traditional cook, and rarely strays from the Italian or Hungarian menu. Don't get me wrong, she's a great cook, but she refuses to experiment or deviate from what's expected in any way."

Carlos laughed and said, "I'm sure whatever my mother cooks will be heavily inspired by traditional Cuban cuisine. She grew up and learned to cook there, so that's what we eat. My mother loves to cook, but she does experiment. We even had a typical American roast turkey for Thanksgiving last year. It was mostly because of my sister's Californian fiancée who was visiting. Mama loved everything about it.

"She spent weeks on the internet researching different recipes, making lists, and finally cooking everything on the day. She was exhausted afterward, but she had such a great time."

I thought about what he had said about his mother and said, "If your mother cooks as well as you say, maybe she can adopt me. I'm sure my mother has already disowned me so there is a vacancy."

We both laughed at that for a few minutes. Carlos pulled to a stop on the side of a road and we both got out of the car. I followed Carlos into a very small little privately owned shop and started to look around. Carlos greeted the woman behind the register in Spanish and I followed him deeper into the store. Carlos grabbed several items, greeted a few others in the store, and went to pay. I looked around as best I could, but it was too overwhelming. There were so many new things that I wanted to investigate further but I simply didn't have time.

I was pulled out of my investigations when I heard raised voices at the front of the store. I poked my head around the end of the shelf I was at to see Carlos standing in front of the register being yelled at by a very angry looking woman who had just walked into the store. Carlos didn't look very happy, but I didn't want to interrupt. I didn't know what to do, so I stayed put and waited for the rapid Spanish conversation to calm down. As soon as Carlos paid for his belongings, I walked around the back of the shelf and out the front door. Carlos saw me slip out the door and hastily tried to follow me to get away from the screaming woman.

Unfortunately, she followed him out of the shop. When she saw me, she turned her anger towards me. She was speaking Spanish, so I didn't understand what she was saying, but I could tell that she did not like me. I climbed into the car as Carlos hit the locks from his keychain, trying to ignore the woman rapidly walking towards my side of the car. I closed the door and she started yelling through the window at me. I was sure what to do, so I looked over at Carlos. It was clear to me that he was annoyed and embarrassed, so I was extremely relieved when he said something and climbed into the car and we drove away.

Carlos didn't say anything until we pulled into a residential area. He pulled over to the side of the road and put the car into park. I thought we were at his parent's house, but when I gathered my things and went to get out of the car, Carlos stopped me by putting his hand on my arm.

"We're not there yet Steph, I just needed to stop for a moment and calm down."

I looked over at him and he was running his hands through is hair and across his face in an attempt to steady his breathing. After several minutes, he lowered his hands, turned to me and said, "I'm really sorry that you had to go through that Stephanie. This is not your fault and I don't want you to feel bad because of it."

I looked at Carlos and laughed. He looked hurt until I said, "Carlos, I didn't understand a word she said to me, so it's hard to be too upset. I could tell by her facial expression and tone that she was angry with you and upset by my presence, but I honestly have no idea why."

Carlos looked somewhat relieved and nodded. He pulled back out onto the road and then said, "That was Lucida's mother. She refuses to believe that her daughter is at fault for our relationship ending. Lucida somehow convinced her mother that I broke up with her because I wanted to see a white girl. When her mother saw you, she started spewing all kinds of hateful things at me and you. I'm relieved that you didn't understand, but I'm sorry that you had to experience that in the first place."

I looked at the pain on Carlos' face and said, "Don't worry about it Carlos. We are friends, we're not dating. There is nothing for you to be sorry about. Friends support each other, so if necessary, I'll stand up to Lucida or her mother the next time I run into them."

Carlos' features seemed to soften at my comment and when we pulled into his parent's driveway a few minutes later, Carlos looked happy to be home.

* * *

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think. The next chapter will be published soon. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon.


	8. Chapter 8 - Home Comforts

Since there were so many reviews, I feel like I ought to reward you. Here's your next chapter. Enjoy!

Usual disclaimer goes here...

* * *

**8. Home Comforts**

Carlos' house was a medium sized two-story brick house with a relatively large yard. It was in a neighbourhood filled with similar sized houses, many of which had extensions or elaborate landscaped gardens. It was quiet and peaceful. I felt slightly jealous that Carlos got to grow up in such a calm neighbourhood.

I grew up in the 'Burg where the houses were pressed together and there was never any peace and quiet in the neighbourhood. Things quieted down during the small hours of the night, but in general, there was always an underlying buzz about the place.

As I followed Carlos up the front steps, I suddenly became nervous about being introduced to his mother. I began to wonder if Maria Manoso would blame me like Lucida's mother had done minutes before. Carlos must have sensed my hesitation to cross the threshold because he reached back, gently grabbed my arm and pulled me into the house.

As soon as Carlos closed the door, somebody yelled something from further inside the house in Spanish. Carlos replied and then showed me where I could put my jacked and shoes. I hung up my jacket where Carlos had indicated and then placed my shoes in the rack beside the door. When I was finished, Carlos handed me the shopping bag and removed his own shoes and jacket.

Taking the bag from my hand, he led me into the kitchen where his mother stood in front of the stove. She looked up and when she saw Carlos, she walked over and hugged him tightly, murmuring something in Spanish. He smiled at her and then kissed her on the cheek. When he pulled back from his embrace he said, "Mama, I'd like you to meet Stephanie Plum."

Mrs Manoso was around my height, but that's where our similarities ended. She was an extremely beautiful woman who still had clear, unlined skin that was a shade lighter than Carlos' skin tone. She had glossy dark hair that was styled in sleek waves that ended at her shoulders. When she looked at me, she smiled, took my hands in hers and said, "Stephanie, it's very nice to meet you. Please call me 'Maria.' For some reason, I always feel funny when young people call me 'Mrs Manoso.' Ricardo has told me that you will be working with him for the summer. Please come in and make yourself at home."

I smiled at her and said, "Thank you Maria. I am really looking forward to working at Manoso Finances. It is a really great opportunity for me and I can't thank you all enough for the chance you are taking on me."

"I'm sure you will fit in fine and your hard work will justify any chance Ricardo is taking on you. From what Carlos has told me, you're a very good student."

I raised my eyebrows at Carlos, because he probably had no idea what kind of student I was. He just shrugged and said, "Come on Stephanie, I'll show you around."

I waved at Maria, who said, "Dinner will be ready in about 75 minutes. Ricardo will be home in an hour. Please relax and make yourself at home. I smiled at Maria, thanked her once again and then followed Carlos down the hallway into a room that was filled with comfortable looking sofas and chairs. There appeared to be enough seating for around 20 people. "Carlos looked around and said, "This is the family room. When the whole family is here, every one of these seats is occupied."

"Wow, you have a huge family. My sister moved out to California right after high school. She married a guy from the Burg whom my mother loved, so she isn't around much. When my family gets together they can be counted on a single hand. Neither of my parents had any siblings, my paternal grandparents are dead and my Grandpa Mazur died last year. That leaves my mother, my father, Grandma Mazur and me. Grandma Mazur lives a few blocks from my parents and she usually comes by when I visit. I think I'm closer with my Grandma than mother."

Carlos nodded and said, "That is small, but it's not necessarily bad. With all my family around, it's hard to have any privacy or peace and quiet. Luckily, only my two younger sisters are still living here, and I'm only here over the summer. I'm not even sure if my sisters will be here for supper, so it won't be too hectic tonight."

I sat down on the end of one of the sofas and sank into the softness. I must have signed because Carlos asked, "Hey Steph, I know you've had to deal with a lot in the last two days, but are you sure you are OK?"

I looked up at Carlos, who was still standing beside the sofa and said, "Actually, I just realised how exhausted I am. It's been a long two days, for both of us. Why don't you have a seat and we can talk and rest a bit before dinner."

Carlos sat on the other side of the sofa and turned to face me so that his back was against the arm rest and his right leg was bent at the knee. I did the same on my end, only I bent my left leg and tucked it under my right so my feet weren't on the sofa.

We sat and stared at each other, trying to figure out what to talk about. After about two minutes of silence, I started to giggle. Carlos' face fell and I assumed he thought I was laughing at him. To set him straight I said, "I just realised that this is the first time today that either of us has run out of something to say. I normally like to fill silence with conversation, but at this moment in time, it is kind of nice to not have anything to say."

Carlos looked at me very strangely and said, "We can stay silent if you'd like. I don't mean to pressure you into conversation. I was just enjoying getting to know you better."

I realised that Carlos misinterpreted my words, so I said, "It's not that I don't want to talk to you Carlos. When I feel the need to fill the silence, it's usually because I feel awkward or I am around people that make me uncomfortable. The silence just now was not like that at all, and I laughed because I think it's funny that I am this comfortable with you. The circumstances of how we met and became friends are just so bizarre. That alone should have kept me talking, just for the sake of talking."

"I think I understand what you mean Steph, because I am experiencing something similar. I don't usually talk this much, especially with women. I spend a lot of time with the guys, but Lucida made it clear that I wasn't allowed to have female friends, so this is kind of new to me. I never expected things to be this easy. Talking to you is not much different than the guys, with one small exception."

I frowned at his last statement and asked, "What small exception?"

Carlos laughed, but didn't answer straight away. When he finally said something, he was staring out the window beside us. "Well, if I'm totally honest, the guys don't smell as good as you do, nor would they protect me from unwanted attention like you did at the diner. If the guys were with us at the diner today, they would have encouraged that waitress and probably given her my phone number without my knowledge."

I looked at Carlos for a moment and then said, "I'm not really sure what I did in the diner can be classed as protecting you. I was just annoyed at being ignored."

"Nevertheless, you didn't let the waitress think that it was OK to fawn over me or to touch me. I also think that it is because of you and your comments when the waitress was near that stopped her from giving me her phone number."

I tried not to laugh and said, "Most guys would be out there soaking up all the attention they could get. Why are you so adverse to the attention you get?"

"I'm looking for more than a physical connection. When woman meet me, they rarely tend to want to get to know me as a person. They're just interested in what I can do for them or how I'll look on their arm. It's shallow and right now, I'm not really interested in that."

I was a bit surprised by his admission but I couldn't fault him for his honesty. I didn't really have anything else to say, so I leaned my head against the back of the sofa, smiled at Carlos, and divided my attention between looking at Carlos and watching the birds outside the window. My eyelids grew heavy and I fell asleep.

My next conscious thought was hearing two quiet voices whispering nearby. My eyes were closed, and as of yet, they weren't cooperating with my attempts to open them. The whispering continued and I was awake enough to recognise that there were two female voices and they were speaking Spanish. I was not awake enough however, to force my eyes open. I was struggling to open my eyes when I heard Carlos speak quietly but forcefully in Spanish. One of the girls replied and I heard them leave the room.

I managed to open one eye and saw that Carlos was watching me. As soon as he saw my eyes open, he leaned forward and quietly spoke, "Dinner won't be for another 30 minutes. Why don't you rest some more. I'll keep my sisters away and ensure that nobody disturbs you."

I smiled at Carlos, who had moved closer in order for me to hear him. I looked around and saw two girls peeking in the doorway and said, "I'm fine. I didn't realise how tired I was until I sat down and stopped for a moment." I motioned at his sisters and continued, "I don't think you should ban your sisters from this room just because I was resting. I'm awake now, so let them go where they want."

"You don't know what you're in for Steph. They'll hound you with all sorts of questions."

"How old are they?"

"Isabella is thirteen and Evelyn is fourteen."

"They're just kids Carlos. How bad could their questions possibly be? Besides, I can probably ask as good as they can."

"OK, I'll let them back in, but I reserve the right to remind you of my warning at a later date."

I laughed and said, "Bring it on."

Carlos waved to his sisters and then said something sternly in Spanish. Two very pretty girls hurried into the room and sat on the sofa between Carlos and me. This forced Carlos to move back to his end of the couch as he watched his sisters bombard me with questions.

"Hi, I'm Evelyn and this is my sister Isabella. Who are you?"

I looked at these two girls and smiled before answering. "Hi, my name is Stephanie."

Evelyn smiled shyly and said, "It is nice to meet you Stephanie. Are you Carlos' new girlfriend?"

I gasped at this question and looked over their heads to see Carlos with a smug look on his face that looked a lot like 'I told you so.' I looked back at Evelyn and said, "No, I'm not Carlos' girlfriend. We go college near each other and Carlos was kind enough to drive me to Newark this morning so I could attend a job interview at your father's company. During my interview, your father invited me to dinner."

Isabella looked between Carlos and me and then said, "Papa must like you then or he wouldn't have invited you here. What will you do at Papa's firm?"

"I will be splitting my time between the accounting department and the marketing department. Other than that, I don't know much more. I do know that I'm really looking forward to it. It's definitely going to be better than working at the Tasty Pastry in Trenton."

Our attention was directed to the door when we heard someone clear their throat.

Isabella stood up and rushed towards the door and jumped at a smiling Ricardo. "Papa!" she cried as she hugged him tightly.

Ricardo looked down at his youngest daughter and said, "Hijita, please go and get washed up for dinner." He looked over at Evelyn and continued, "You too Evie. After washing, please go help your mother set the table. We will be eating shortly." Evelyn hurried after her sister, hugging and kissing Ricardo on the way past.

After the girls left, Ricardo came into the room and sat in a comfortable looking chair across from us. He looked at me and said, "Maria said that you had a little nap before the girls came in and interrupted. I hope you aren't too worn out to stay for a little while longer."

I blushed a little at his words and said, "I assure you that I will not fall asleep at the table. It's been a long and stressful couple of days, and my short rest helped a lot."

Ricardo nodded, stood and then said to Carlos, "Why don't you show Stephanie where she can wash up. Dinner will be ready shortly." Carlos nodded and stood as Ricardo left the room.

I started to stand up, but my leg had fallen asleep from sitting in one position for so long. When I was on my feet, I wobbled a bit and would have fallen over if Carlos hadn't reached over to steady me. I shook my leg to get the blood flowing again and said, "Thanks for that. I would have been slightly awkward if I had fallen and bruised the other side of my face."

Carlos laughed and said, "Come on Babe, let's get you freshened up."

I looked at Carlos and was going to say something to him about his choice of nouns, but he was already walking out of the room. I had to hurry to catch up with him. He opened a door down the hallway and said, "I'm going to run and use the restroom upstairs. Just follow this hallway to the end, walk across the main entranceway and follow the hall on the other side. That will lead you to the dining room. I'm sure you'll be able to follow the noise. I'll see you in a few minutes."

I thanked Carlos and closed the door behind me, thankful for a few minutes of alone time. I looked at my hair in the mirror and was pleasantly surprised to see that it was behaving itself. I used the facilities and then touched up my makeup, which had also held up quite well during the day. I washed and dried my hands, took one last look in the mirror and went in search for the dining room.

I followed Carlos' directions and ended up in the right place. Maria was placing some dishes filled with food when I walked in, so I asked, "Is there anything I can do to help Maria?"

Maria smiled at me and replied, "No dear, everything is under control. We'll be eating as soon as everyone arrives."

I didn't have to wait long because Evelyn and Isabella walked in the room carrying napkins. They were immediately followed by Ricardo who was carrying a pitcher filled with ice water.

I heard the familiar ring from my phone and turned to see Carlos hand me my phone. "Steph, it's Detective Carter. You should probably talk to him.

I nodded, took my phone and then excused myself.

"Hello?"

"Hi there Miss Plum. This is Detective Carter. I have some information that I need to share with you, and then I need your input on how we proceed."

"OK", I said. "Go ahead."

"OK, first of all, I should tell you that Officer Morelli was able to track down and arrest Mr Preston. There was some sort of exchange between them and Mr Preston managed to get himself in more trouble by assaulting a police officer. Mr Preston has been formally arrested and he will be up against a Judge in the next 48 hours. It is likely that he will be granted bail, especially because his father is a very influential lawyer. He will likely be restricted to Trenton, so you should be fine if you stay away from there.

"The next bit of news is a little bit more disturbing. We have discovered that the fax sent regarding your criminal history was actually sent from the public library in Trenton about 30 minutes after we entered your complaint into our system. I am fairly confident that this is no coincidence. We have no proof, but my guess is that Ryan's father got wind of your complaint and was trying to damage your credibility. Fortunately, this didn't work, and this brings me to the main reason for this phone call.

"Ryan made several comments when he was brought in by Officer Morelli. These comments were passed on to me, and along with the circumstantial fax evidence, I think that it would be in your best interest to take out a restraining order against Ryan and his father. I wouldn't put it past either of them to try and intimidate you into dropping the charges."

I was shocked by his words, and after he prompted me for my response I said, "If you think it would be best, I'll follow your recommendation. What do you need me to do?"

"At your earliest convenience, I need you to stop by the campus police station and fill out some paperwork. I will get the legal ball rolling because this will need to be looked at by a judge before it can be issued. I can contact Judge Waters because he works late on Friday evenings."

"I can come in first thing in the morning. I'm currently in Newark and I probably won't be back until later tonight."

"That's fine, just don't forget. The Judge will probably sign the paperwork tonight, but it won't be legal until it also has your signature."

"Thank you Detective Carter, I appreciate all the information you have given me. I will come in around 8:30 tomorrow morning if that's early enough."

"Yes, that will be fine. See you then Miss Plum. Good night."

I ended the phone call and walked back into the dining room.

Carlos took one look at me and said, "Stephanie, you're very pale, is everything alright?"

I nodded and tried to smile and said, "Everything is going to be fine. Thanks for asking." I looked around and noticed the entire Manoso family watching me. I blushed when I realised that I had delayed dinner. "I'm very sorry for interrupting your dinner."

Ricardo spoke for the family and said, "Don't worry about it Stephanie, please take a seat and we can get started."

I sat down, and as we passed the food around, I noticed one significant difference between family dinners at my house and this dinner. The Manoso family actually seemed to like each other. They chatted throughout the meal and chatted about their day. Not once did one of them belittle another or complain about anything that they did.

It wasn't until Ricardo insisted that the two girls clear the table and go do their homework that any whining or complaining started. All of us joined in and cleared the table. The dishes were put straight in the dishwasher, making quick work of cleaning up. The girls headed to their rooms to do their homework and the rest of us went into the sitting room with a tray of coffee.

While Maria was pouring the coffee, Carlos tried to get my attention, but I was purposefully trying to avoid his gaze. I wasn't sure I wanted to talk about my problems in front of his parents, and if I explained my conversation with the Detective, Maria and Ricardo would probably want to know what was going on.

My inner monologue was interrupted when Ricardo spoke. "Stephanie, Carlos refuses to explain why you were talking to a police detective because it is not his story to tell. I just want you to know that if you need someone to talk to, we will not judge you. I could tell that you are worried about something. Why not share it with us and maybe we can help?"

I looked at the concern in both Ricardo and Maria's eyes, so I decided to take a chance and tell them about the last 2 days of my life. I nervously cleared my throat and then spent the next 15 minutes telling my story.

Carlos was the first to speak. "What did the detective want though?"

"Oh right, I had almost forgot about that. Detective Carter called to tell me that he suspects that Ryan's father was the one that was behind the whole eviction fiasco. That has been overturned by the owners, so I don't have to find a new place to live, thank God.

"He also told me that Ryan has been arrested and formally charged with assaulting me as well as the officer who brought him in. It turns out that Ryan said some very unflattering things about me and the police officer didn't take too kindly to them. Ryan punched him and was then arrested. He'll likely get out on bail because his father is a very influential lawyer in Trenton.

"Detective Carter wants me to take out restraining orders against Ryan and his father because of some of the things said about me. I don't know the specifics, but it was bad enough that Officer Morelli shared the comments with Detective Carter. Morelli and I went to high school together, but we never really got along. That means that whatever Ryan said must have been pretty bad.

"I agreed to the restraining orders, so I have to go in tomorrow to sign the orders after they've been seen by a judge."

When I finished, both Maria and Ricardo were staring at me with open mouths. Maria was the first to recover by saying, "My goodness that is a more than enough for anyone to go through in a lifetime. You had to go through it in only two days."

I nodded and replied, "You're right, it is a lot to handle, but I'm very grateful to your son and husband. If it wasn't for them, things could have been a lot worse. I can easily avoid Ryan this summer because I'll be working in Newark and not Trenton. I think if you look at all the pluses and minuses, I'm out one lousy boyfriend, I'm up one job and several new friends.

"If I hadn't met Carlos, I'd be stuck in Trenton right now. I'd be in a relationship with an untrustworthy man and I wouldn't even know it. I realise now how fortunate I was when Carlos stole my seat that morning."

"It was fortunate indeed." Ricardo said quietly.

I stifled a yawn as stealthily as possible but it did not escape notice by Maria. She looked at me and then at Carlos and said, "Carlos, you need to get Stephanie home. She must be exhausted after these past couple of days."

Ricardo agreed and added, "I need you well rested for Monday, so relax and enjoy your weekend as much as possible. I look forward to working with you."

I went to shake hands with Maria, but she pulled me into a hug instead. As she was hugging me she said, "Stephanie, if you run into any more problems, please feel free to contact one of us. I'm sure any of us would be happy to help."

I thanked her for her kind words and promised to contact her if I needed to talk in the future. I, waved goodbye to Isabella and Evelyn, and said, "It was nice to meet you two. I hope I get a chance to speak to you again soon."

I shook Ricardo's hand, and told him that I would see him at 9AM on Monday and then followed Carlos out to the car. Before we headed back to my apartment, we emptied his belongings from the car and placed them inside the entranceway. Carlos promised his parents that he would clean up the mess as soon as he returned. We waved one final time, climbed into the car and drove away.

We sat in silence for about ten minutes before Carlos finally said something. "You know Steph, I'm really worried about you. You live alone now that your roommate is gone for the summer and Ryan has already proven that he can break in without much effort."

"I know Carlos. The police have already installed another lock to the door. I will stay with Molly tonight and then I will collect the keys from Detective Carter tomorrow morning. I won't be spending all that much time in my apartment this summer though. The trip back and forth alone means I'll be gone by 7AM, and I'm not likely to return before 7PM. I'll be alright, but I do appreciate your concern."

"Good, just take care and let me know if anything else happens. I'll come as soon as I can."

I smiled at him as he drove and said, "Thanks Carlos, you're a really good friend, and right now, I can use as many as I can get."

* * *

The next chapter will be up when the reviews hit a sufficient number. Please let me know what you think so far so I know that you want me to continue. :)


	9. Chapter 9 - Let the Summer Begin

The reviews have all been so positive that I decided to post this chapter a little early. I hope you enjoy!

Usual disclaimer goes here...

* * *

**9. Let the Summer Begin**

Carlos and I talked about a few odds and ends for the next little while, but we were interrupted when his phone rang. He glanced down at the caller id and let it go to voice mail. He looked in my direction for a moment and said, "Lucida."

"I can understand why you let it go to voice mail. If she was my ex-girlfriend, I'd not want to talk to her either."

Carlos laughed and said, "If she was your ex-girlfriend, I'd be begging you to take her back and let me join you."

"Yeah right Carlos, if I could get a woman as hot as that, why would I need you?"

We laughed again, but stopped when the phone rang again. This time, Carlos answered it. He had a short monosyllabic conversation that ended with "Sorry man, can't this weekend, I'm in Newark. Maybe I'll come out with you guys next weekend. Yeah, catch you later."

After Carlos hung up his phone, he looked over at me and said, "That was Bobby. He was begging me to join him, Lester and Tom on their quest for the perfect one night stand tomorrow night. Bobby wanted me to join them. Unfortunately for him, I'm going to be in Newark."

"That is unfortunate indeed. The ladies will be at a loss and they will have to settle for Lester's sad moves. Don't those guys have summer jobs?"

"Yeah, Bobby is working at free clinic where he is getting credits towards med school. Lester is working on some ad campaign for his mother here in New Brunswick, and Tom is working for a chain of gyms here in New Brunswick and Newark. He's a certified personal trainer."

"Wow, those all sound really good. What about you? What are you doing this summer?"

"Actually, I'm working 2 days a week for my father. I'm also working at the same gym as Tom. I have a black belt in two different martial arts, so I teach classes at two gyms in Newark."

"That's pretty impressive Carlos. What kinds of classes do you teach?"

"One of the gyms we work for has a children's program, so I teach kids the basics of Karate. The other gym has classes for more mature people. I teach a self defence class in the evenings."

"Too bad I live so far away. I could probably use something like that."

"It probably wouldn't hurt, especially if Ryan gets out on bail and comes back to New Brunswick or goes to Newark in search of you."

I shuddered at the thought of Ryan coming after me, but I refused to let it get to me. We were now only a few blocks from Molly's so I had to give Carlos directions. He'd only walked there the other night, so he wasn't sure how to get there.

When Carlos pulled into the visitor parking lot, he smiled and said, "I think it might be a good idea for you to call Molly before coming up. I think she might have company."

I looked at him with narrowed eyes and asked, "How could you possibly know that?"

"Do you see that car there Babe? That's Jimmy's car."

I rolled my eyes and said, "Smart ass. And what's with calling me Babe?"

"I used it at the diner, and it sort of just slips out now and again. I can stop if it bothers you."

"It's not that it bothers me, it's just that Babe is the sort of an endearment reserved for somebody very important to you. I'm not sure I really qualify."

"You're wrong there Stephanie. You are important to me. I know we barely know each other, but I'm glad we're friends."

"Just don't use it in front of my friends, your family, or the guys. I'm sure they'll get the wrong idea."

"That is something I can live with. Just as long as you still let me call you Babe in front our waitress at the diner. I'll need your protection now more than ever."

"I think that is something that I can live with as well. I'm going to give Molly a ring to see if it's safe for me to come up."

I browsed through my contacts and selected Molly. She answered her phone rather breathlessly a few moments later. We had a shot conversation and I hung up. I turned to look at Carlos, feeling a little apprehensive.

"Molly reminded me that I don't have any clothes here. Would you have time to drop me off at my apartment so I can collect a few things? It's not far, so I can walk back when I'm done. I'm sure that will give her and Jimmy enough time to compose themselves."

Carlos chuckled and said, "I have time to drop you off, but I won't let you walk back alone. It's late at night, we still don't know who broke into your apartment, and you have a pending restraining order on Ryan and his father. It's probably best if I go with you and then bring you back here before I head back to Newark. It won't take that long."

An evil grin erupted on my face and I said, "You haven't seen what I will need to bring back with me. It could take hours if I can't make quick decisions."

Carlos laughed and said, "I have all night if need be. I don't start work until Monday morning and my parents don't really have a curfew for me."

"Don't worry. I doubt it will take very long. I only need clothes for one night and a day. I'm not going anywhere tomorrow other than the police station, so I don't need to take too many of my hair taming products or makeup."

"OK Babe, tell me where to go, and I'll take you there," Carlos said as he grinned at me.

I laughed at his cheesy line and gave him directions to my apartment building. It only took us about 5 minutes, but we took our time getting out of the car and into the building. We even waited patiently for the elevator to come back down. It was currently on the 12th floor, and not moving.

Carlos watched the elevator as the numbers slowly descended. He turned to me and said, "I hope Jimmy appreciates all I'm doing for him tonight." He grinned and winked at me as he returned his gaze to the elevator numbers. When the elevator reached floor 2, it stayed there for what seemed like 5 minutes. Normally, I'd have gotten annoyed and stormed up the stairs, but for some reason I was in no hurry tonight.

When the elevator finally reached the lobby, the doors slowly opened to reveal an empty car. Carlos and I both looked at each other. Carlos raised his one eyebrow and poked his head into the elevator. "That's strange," he said. "The elevator is empty."

"You never know with this building. Some kid probably pressed a bunch of numbers before he got out so that it would stop at every floor on the way back down."

We stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for my floor. It wasn't until I reached the door to my apartment that I realised my mistake. The colour drained from my face and I turned to face Carlos. He saw the change in my demeanour and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I forgot that there is an extra lock on the door. I can't get into my apartment without the key from Detective Carter. I completely forgot. I'm going to call Molly back and tell her the situation."

I called Molly and true to my expectations, she instructed that I come straight there. She wasn't aware of the extra lock or she'd never have suggested that I go back. She insisted that I invite Carlos up as well, so we headed back down to the car.

"I'm really sorry for this little wild goose chase Carlos. I should have remembered about the lock when Molly suggested it. I was just so worried about interrupting Molly that I never actually told her we were downstairs. I just told her that we were nearing her apartment. Now I feel so silly."

"Don't worry about it Steph." He put his hand on my shoulder and gave me a sideways hug as we stood side by side in the descending elevator.

When we arrived at Molly's apartment 10 minutes later, Molly seemed fine with the interruption. "Hey Steph, come on in Carlos. I am sorry you wasted your time at your apartment."

I smiled at Molly, who blushed when I glanced at Jimmy. "That's OK Molly, I should have remembered myself. I felt a little silly standing in front of my own door without the means to get inside."

Carlos walked over to Jimmy and started a quiet conversation while I filled Molly in on my day. She was really excited that I got the job. She did comment about the commute and how much of a pain it was going to be.

"It will be hard at first, but then I'll get used to it. The days are longer now, so I wake up pretty early. That will make the mornings tolerable. I'm not sure I'd want to sit on several buses in the dark at that time of the day.

"Maybe I'll even be able to buy a cheap used car. That would make the commute much easier."

"You're probably right. It's not like it's that far away, only about 30 miles. You'll have some long days, but the experience will be more than worth it. Even if the commute is horrible, it will still be better than working at a bakery and living at home."

"That is true, and I can save almost all of my salary because I have already paid the rent on my apartment for the next three months."

Molly looked over at the guys and asked them if they wanted something to drink. Carlos said, "Thanks Molly, but I need to be getting back before it gets too late."

Carlos moved toward the door after saying something to Timmy that I didn't really understand. As he walked past me, he squeezed my shoulder and said, "Get some rest this weekend. I have a feeling that you'll be put through your paces come Monday. I'll talk to you later."

I followed him to the door and said "Thanks for everything Carlos. I'll probably see you on Monday or Tuesday."

"You'll definitely see me on Monday. I have to go through the same induction as you do. This is the first year I have worked for my father, and even though it is only part-time, I still have to go through all the necessary hoops."

He turned to walk away, but before I could close the door, he turned and kissed me on the cheek. He smiled, I blushed, and he was gone.

When I went back into the apartment, Molly and Jimmy were standing beside the small table in Molly's tiny kitchen. They were talking quietly, so I decided to call it a night, but not disturb them. I realised I was truly exhausted, so I went into the bathroom to wash up and brush my teeth. When I came back out 5 minutes later, Jimmy and Molly were standing at the door. He looked up and said, "Goodnight Steph."

I waved at Jimmy and left them to finish their goodbyes. I went into the room I had slept in the night before and put on a pair of pyjamas that Molly had lent me. When I came back out to get a drink of water, Molly was sitting on the sofa with a dreamy look on her face.

I decided the water could wait and said, "Come on Molly, spill all the gory details."

Molly focused on me and then blushed. "I hate how it we met, but I really like Jimmy. He's such a gentleman. Most other guys would have pressured for sex after a night out, but Jimmy didn't even bring it up. He is nice, funny, and really quite smart. We had a really nice time tonight. When he left, he kissed me very gently and told me that it was refreshing to go on a date with a girl who didn't spend the whole evening self obsessing about her calorie intake or whether enough people were noticing her."

I smiled and said, "Jimmy seems like a nice guy. Carlos mentioned that the guys we met the other night are split down the middle. Lester, Tom and Bobby quite like the one night stand mentality. Jimmy, Vince and Carlos on the other hand, are more traditional. They may not be ready for long term commitments as of yet, but they tend to be a little more old fashioned."

Molly grinned at that and smiled. "Jimmy said almost the exact same thing this evening."

I yawned and stood to get a glass of water from the kitchen. Molly stood and followed me and said, "What about you and Carlos? He seems to be around a lot lately?"

I choked on the water I was drinking, and when I was able to breathe again, I said, "Carlos and I are friends Molly. I think he feels guilty because of the role he played in ruining my relationship. I'm definitely glad that he told me about Ryan cheating."

I walked back to the sofa because I figured that answer wouldn't satisfy Molly. When I sat, I continued to speak. "Looking back from my current perspective, I can now admit to myself that I wasn't happy with Ryan. I never loved him, and parts of me wonder if I ever even liked him. My mother loved him, and I think that is the only reason I stuck with him for so long."

"Tell me about your job. What was Carlos' father like?"

"The meeting I had with Mr Manoso was very short. He asked me some typical questions and then offered me a job. When I asked him why, he said that he liked how I stood up for myself and my positive attitude. At that point in time, he didn't know anything about Ryan or the break-in, so I wasn't sure what he meant.

"I felt obligated to tell him that it was my boyfriend that Lucida cheated with, so if he wanted to blame me, he could. He surprised me by admitting that he didn't really think Lucida was right for Carlos, but he didn't go into details. After the interview, we had coffee and cake in the office kitchen and then Ricardo, that's Carlos' father, invited me to their house for dinner.

"Wow. He must really have liked you. Is he as hot as Carlos?"

"Very much so, just a little older, but that kind of makes him even sexier. He was a really nice man, who treated me more like a friend than an employee. He kept saying that he was looking forward to me working _with_ him, not for him. Carlos' mother is also very beautiful. It is clear where he gets his good looks. He has his father's stature and face, but he has his mother's eyes and smile."

Molly grinned and said "You seem to know a lot about this. Are you sure there's nothing between you two?"

"We just got out of complicated and unpleasant relationships. I am not ready or interested in jumping straight into another one. I'm sure Carlos feels the same way. We are friends, we get along well, but that's where we'll stay. He may not even come back here for school next year, so there's little point in me getting invested in a relationship that is doomed to fail."

Molly nodded and said, "I understand your reluctance. Just don't let other people's opinions or a sense of protocol get in the way of your happiness."

"I was just offered a really exciting new job. For now, that is making me happy. I'm going to go to bed. I have to go by the police office at 8:30 in the morning so I should get some sleep."

"Good night Steph. I'll be up when you leave. I can join you if you'd like. Just let me know."

"Thanks Molly, I'll see you in the morning."

* * *

Your encouragement has been wonderful. Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 10 - Explosive Restraint

Here's an extra Sunday bonus chapter for you. Enjoy!

Usual disclaimer applies.

* * *

**10. Explosive Restraint**

When Molly and I walked into the police station the following morning, Detective Carter was standing in the hallway waiting for us. "You're exactly on time Miss Plum. Please follow me to my office."

Once inside and seated, Detective Carter looked at me and said, "Miss Plum, I have the paperwork for your restraining order against Ryan Preston. Unfortunately, the Judge didn't think that there was enough evidence to warrant the second restraining order against Ryan's father. It was a long shot, but at least you have the one against Ryan ready and waiting to be filed."

I signed the necessary paperwork and collected the new keys to my apartment, including a new master set for the super. I walked back to Molly's place with her, collected my things and headed over to my place.

Before we said goodbye, Molly asked, "Steph, why don't Christie and I come by after lunch and help you get things cleaned up?"

"Sure, we can order some pizza to make up for the other night."

Molly laughed and waved as she I walked down the hall and got on the elevator.

I got back to my building and saw my father standing in the lobby. When I opened the door, before I could say anything, my mother came rushing over to me and started ranting at me. "Stephanie Michelle Plum, how could you embarrass us by telling all these lies about poor Ryan? He's absolutely beside himself with grief because of the callous way you broke up with him.

"I promised him we'd come here and bring you back so you two could work things out. Now go on upstairs, pack your things and get a move on. We need to get home in time for me to make dinner."

I looked at my mother and then at my father. He was looking at my face very closely, but didn't say anything. I looked at my mother, took a deep breath and said, "Mother, I am not coming back with you to Trenton. I interviewed for a really exciting summer job yesterday and I was offered the position. I am staying here and working this summer.

"As for Ryan, I don't know what lies he's been telling you, but I refuse to be with a man who cheats on me and takes his anger out with physical violence."

"I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation. Maybe you were too busy with your studies to provide him the attention he needed. You should quit this college nonsense and marry him so you can take care of him properly."

I laughed and said, "I will not drop out of college, especially to marry Ryan Parker. If I refuse to stay with a man who cheats, I definitely would never stay with a man who hits me. Look at my face. Look at the bruises he left on my arms. I will not stay with him. It is over, and if you don't like it, you can marry him. I am not now nor am I ever going to marry Ryan Parker."

My dad walked a little closer to me and looked at the cheek that was still badly bruised, but concealed quite well under makeup. He turned to his wife and said, "I don't want Steph to see this boy anymore Helen, look what he did to her. If he is treating her like this now, it would only get worse if they stayed together and got married."

My mother refused to look at me and started walking toward the door. She was mumbling about being embarrassed and worrying about what the neighbours thought. As she reached the door she called over her shoulder, "If she's not coming Frank, let's go."

My father looked at me, gave me a quick squeeze and said, "Call me if you need anything Pumpkin, I'm proud of you."

I watched my parents walk out of sight around the corner of the building and pressed the call button for the elevator. When the doors opened, I walked in and laughed at my mother. I was annoyed at her reaction, but I was old enough now that she couldn't force me to do something I didn't want to do, no matter how much she nagged. That realisation made me feel a lot better about my current situation, so I decided to forget about her negativity or how Ryan felt and just move on with my life.

I entered my apartment and sighed. It was one thing to decide to ignore my mother's rants. It was another to ignore the mess in my apartment. I dropped my bag on the sofa and went to make a pot of coffee. As the black liquid dripped into the carafe, I began to relax. In reality, the damage done to my apartment was limited, so it probably wouldn't take too long to clean up.

I filled a mug with coffee, milk and a little bit of sugar and walked through the rooms to take stock of all of the damage. The majority of the damage was done in my bedroom. A few trinkets that were in the lounge were broken, but nothing irreplaceable. Luckily, my roommate's room escaped all notice, and nothing was damaged in there. I would not have enjoyed calling her and telling her about her destroyed belongings.

I sat and enjoyed my coffee, letting my mind wander over the events of the last few days. I was finally able to fully appreciate how lucky I was the day the Carlos Manoso walked into my life. If it wasn't for him, my mother would probably have talked me into marrying Ryan, and then I'd be stuck in a marriage with an abusive and adulterous man that I didn't really like. Now, I had the chance to get some experience with a real accounting firm and move on with my life.

My phone rang and brought me out of my thoughts. It was Christie calling to tell me that she and Molly would be over as soon as they picked up the Pizza. I looked around my apartment and decided that I would clean up the broken glass and ceramic chards from the living room and leave the much bigger mess in my bedroom for the arrival of reinforcements.

I placed my mug in the sink and grabbed the broom out of the closet. I swept up all of the broken glass and broken trinkets and then swept the remains into a dustpan. I was still convinced that there were tiny shards of glass that were invisible to the eye, so I would need to do something more drastic.

I looked at the time and figured my neighbour down the hall might be home. Mrs Waters is a middle aged widower who is usually very friendly with me when we see each other in the hall. I have fed and checked on her beloved cats when she was out of town one weekend, so I hoped she would be willing to lend me her vacuum cleaner.

I was a little bit more security conscious than usual, so instead of leaving my door ajar, I grabbed my keys and locked it before heading down to knock on Mrs Waters' door. The door was pulled open a few seconds later by Mrs Waters who was holding one of her cats. "Stephanie, how nice to see you dear, please come in." She backed into her apartment and waved me inside.

Once inside, she turned to me and said, "I'm glad to see that you are alright. We all saw the police in your apartment the other night. They even came to ask us some questions."

"Thanks for your concern Mrs Waters. Somebody broke into my apartment, so I had a little bit of trouble, but that's all over now. Actually, that's the reason I stopped by. As you know, my apartment has no carpet, so I have never needed a vacuum cleaner. Unfortunately, the burglar broke some items in my apartment and there was glass everywhere. I swept it up as best I could, but I'm worried that there might be small pieces that the broom can't catch. I was hoping you might lend me your vacuum cleaner so I could be sure to clean up all the bits of glass."

"That's not a problem Steph. You can use my vacuum cleaner and anything else you might need in order to get things back to normal."

Mrs Waters disappeared down the hall and returned moments later with a cumbersome vacuum cleaner. She handed it to me and said, "She's old, but she works just fine." I thanked her and promised to return it shortly.

After vacuuming the floor and returning the vacuum cleaner to Mrs Waters, it was almost lunch time. Molly and Christie would be arriving soon so I put on a fresh pot of coffee and set the table in anticipation of their arrival.

Shortly after noon, the buzzer at the door in the lobby rang announcing Christie and Molly's arrival with pizza. After we had finished the pizza, the three of us went into my room and started discarding and recording everything that was destroyed. When we were finished, it was obvious that I would have to make an insurance claim. Almost all of the clothes hanging in my closet were shredded. The drawers in my dresser had been sprayed with some sort of dark blue ink, ruining anything exposed on the top layer of the drawer.

When we finally finished the list and filled several bags with my ruined clothes, it was 7:30. Both Christie and Molly had plans that evening, so they headed out and left me with the remaining pizza from lunch.

I re-heated the pizza in the oven, and ate in front of the television. There wasn't much on, so I settled on the news channel, and watched as the news anchor interviewed a zookeeper about a tiger that was about to give birth. When I was finished eating, I left the TV while I washed the plates and glasses from earlier.

By the time I finished the washing up, the tiger story was over. I picked up my remote to try and find something else to watch, but was saved by my ringing phone.

I looked at the caller id and saw that it was Carlos who was calling.

"Hey Carlos, what's up?"

"Hiya Steph, how did it go at the station this morning?"

"Pretty much as expected, I signed some paperwork that made Ryan's restraining order legal, picked up my keys, and came back to my apartment."

"I thought there were supposed to be two restraining orders?"

"Detective Carter was only able to get the Judge to agree to the one against Ryan. He said there was not enough evidence to implicate Ryan's father. He's a lawyer, so I doubt he will do anything to harm me."

"OK. I just thought I'd call and check that everything went smoothly today."

Carlos paused and said, "Were you able to get everything sorted in your apartment?"

I sighed and said, "Everything is cleaned up now. Molly and Christie came over this afternoon and helped out. I will have to file an insurance claim because I will need to buy a new wardrobe. Whoever broke in ruined almost all of my clothes. I don't really get why they'd do that."

"You sound depressed at the thought of replacing your clothes. I thought most girls loved to go shopping?"

I laughed and said, "I do like shopping. I just don't like the idea of being forced to go when I have little time or money to truly enjoy the experience."

"I get it, you're starting a new job on Monday, and that will likely take up most of your time for the foreseeable future. Do you need to go shopping before Monday?"

"Both Molly and Christie offered to let me raid their closets tomorrow. Unfortunately, I can't really borrow some things from them, so I will need to pick up a few things tomorrow."

I was about to ask Carlos how his drive home the night before was, but there was a knock at my door. I told Carlos I'd be right back, and walked to the door, still carrying the glass of water I was drinking as I talked to Carlos.

I looked out of the peep hole but didn't see anyone. I slowly unlocked my door and opened the door. Nobody was there. I was just about to close the door when something caught my eye close to the ground. I looked down and saw a bottle with a rag stuffed in the neck that had been lit on fire.

I squealed and threw my glass of water at the bottle. The fire seemed to go out, but seconds later it light up again. I didn't know what to do, so I picked the bottle up and ran with it into the bathroom and dropped it into the toilet, burning end down. As soon as I was satisfied that the flames were out, I walked over, picked up my phone and said, "I'm sorry Carlos, I'm going to have to call you back. Somebody just left a Molotov cocktail at my door. I've managed to extinguish the flames, but I need to call the police."

Without waiting for a response from Carlos, I hung up and dialled Detective Carter's number. When he answered, I said, "Detective, this is Stephanie Plum. A Molotov cocktail was just delivered to my apartment. I managed to put out the fire before the bottle exploded, but I thought you ought to know."

Detective Carter instructed me to lock my door and told me that he would be there shortly to start another investigation. I stood in my living room behind my sofa, thinking about who might have done this.

My first thought was Ryan, but I remembered that he was probably still in Trenton, with instructions not to leave town. My next thoughts leaned toward Mr Preston, but I had a hard time believing that he would do something as potentially harmful as a Molotov cocktail. Even if he was angry at the charges against his son, there were better ways to deal with it than by trying to harm me.

Detective Carter arrived about 20 minutes later and he was accompanied by a team of forensic scientists. He asked me a bunch of questions, got me to walk him through the events of the evening, and was just about to suggest that I find somewhere else to stay for the night when Carlos, closely followed by Ricardo came rushing in.

Carlos reached me and pulled me into a brief hug. He let me go and asked, "Are you OK Steph? You really had me worried when you hung up on me. When I explained what happened to Papa, he insisted that we come and make sure that you were alright."

I was surprised by their presence, but I was able to reassure them both that everything was fine.

Detective Carter looked at me and reiterated, "Miss Plum, I have to remind you that you cannot stay here tonight. You can pack a bag since there was not actual intrusion, but we want to keep you away from here for a few days so we can do some surveillance using a stand-in for you."

I looked at the detective without saying anything. I knew I could stay with Molly, but I was a bit annoyed by the inconvenience. "Is that really necessary?"

"It is Miss Plum. If the person responsible finds out that their first attempt failed, what's stopping them from trying again?"

I scrunched up face and sighed. "I'll go pack a bag and call my friend Molly."

A few minutes later, I was sitting on my bed beside a bag packed with what little of my clothing remained. I had my phone in hand, staring off into space. My mind was so occupied with my frustrated thoughts that I didn't even notice when Carlos and Ricardo walked into my room.

Ricardo cleared his throat and asked, "Are you OK Stephanie? You look a bit worse for wear?"

"I'm fine Ricardo. I just can't get through to my friend Molly. I forgot that she was out tonight with her family."

Ricardo walked closer to me and sat beside me on the bed. He looked at me, put his arm around my shoulder and said, "I've just spoken with the detective. We both think that it might be safer if you come home with us to Newark and stay with us for a few days."

I looked up at Ricardo and then at Carlos and said, "I couldn't possibly impose like that. You've both done so much for me already. I don't want you to cause you any more trouble."

Carlos squatted down in front of me so that we were at the same eye level and said, "Come on Steph, it's not safe for you to be here and you don't know when Molly will be back. If you come back with us, you'll be safe and you won't be alone.

"Besides, there are better shopping opportunities in Newark and the commute will be much easier come Monday morning."

I laughed at Carlos' comment and replied, "When you put it in terms of shopping and extra beauty sleep, how could any woman in their right mind refuse such a generous offer. I don't know how I'll ever thank you enough."

Ricardo thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "I do. You can take Isabella and Evelyn shopping with you. They have been nagging Maria and me for ages because they each have birthday money that they want to spend."

"I will gladly accept that challenge. This small task is the least I can do for all of your family's hospitality."

I walked back into the living room, followed by Ricardo and Carlos carrying my bag. Ricardo, Carlos and Detective Carter exchanged contact details, and Detective Carter promised to call me if anything turned up over the next few days. He'd let me know when he thought it was safe for me to return to my apartment.

I took one last look around my apartment and thanked the detective before following Carlos and Ricardo out to the elevator. Since it was almost 11PM, the trip back to the Newark took less than 30 minutes, which was just enough time for me to be lulled into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

More to follow. Thanks for reading.


	11. Chapter 11 - Where to go from Here

I hope you enjoy!

Usual disclaimer...

* * *

**11. Where to go from Here**

I awoke to a gentle shaking and a whispering voice calling my name. I opened my eyes to find Carlos standing over me, saying, "Steph, we're here."

I unfastened my seatbelt and stretched before I took Carlos' offered hand and climbed out of the parked car. I looked around and saw no sign of Ricardo. I assumed that he was already inside. I looked at Carlos and saw that he was carrying my bag on his right shoulder, and his left hand was still holding mine, from helping me out of the car.

I said, "Thanks Carlos," and let go of his hand to close the car door. I then turned and followed Carlos into the house. As soon as Carlos closed the door behind us, Maria came into the entrance hall and pulled me into a tight hug. Holding me tight she said, "I'm so happy that you are alright dear. When Ricardo told me why they were going to your apartment, I was really worried. I was relieved when Ricardo came in and said that you would be staying here. You'll be safe here, I assure you."

"Thank you Maria. I really appreciate everything that you and your family have done for me over the past few days. If there is anything at all I can do, please let me know."

"Thanks but there is nothing more for you to do tonight Stephanie, except get some sleep. Carlos, can you please show Stephanie to Daniela's old room and then show her where the towels and everything are located?"

"Sure Mama."

I wished Maria and Ricardo goodnight and then followed Carlos upstairs. He pointed to the first door at the top of the stairs and pointed out Evelyn's room then Isabella's room, and then his parents' room. The next door he came to was the bathroom. He pulled me inside and showed me that the towels were in a small closet behind the door.

Next, he opened a door and said, "This room used to be Daniela's, but she now lives and works in Miami. It is the only spare room until I leave for good, but we all still refer to it as Daniela's."

Carlos walked into the room and placed my bag onto the bed. He then turned around and stared at me with a funny expression on his face. I waited for him to say something, but when he didn't I asked, "What's wrong Carlos, you look annoyed with me. Have I done something to upset you?"

Carlos walked toward me, not saying a word. When he was close enough that we were sharing the same airspace, he rubbed his hands over his face and said, "I was so worried when you didn't call me back straight away. Papa refused to let me drive because I was shaking so hard."

I was going to say something to reassure him that I was alright, but before I could say anything, he reached out and pulled me towards him, enveloping me into a strong and comforting hug. He held me for several minutes before saying, "I know we just met, but I was so afraid I might have lost you tonight. I was really looking forward to getting to know you and working with you this summer. The possibility that that might not happen scared me more than I want to admit."

I held onto Carlos, relaxing into the comfort and warmth I felt with his arms around me. I couldn't remember ever feeling quite as comfortable as I did at that point in time. I didn't want the hug to end, but I was unable to stifle a yawn, and Carlos pulled back and said, "You're tired Steph, I'll let you get some sleep."

Carlos looked me in the eye and said, "Goodnight Steph." Carlos walked out of my room, and looked back at me when he reached the door. As he reached out to close the door he said, "If you need anything at all, I'm in the room directly across the hall from you."

I smiled at Carlos through a yawn and said, "Thanks again Carlos, I'll see you in the morning."

After Carlos left, I rummaged through my bag and dug out my toothbrush and face wash. I went into the bathroom and got ready for bed, running into Maria and Ricardo on their way to bed. We wished each other good night and I returned to my room. After putting on the only pair of pyjamas I had left, I crawled into bed.

The last thought I had before I fell asleep was of the hug that Carlos and I shared that evening, wondering what it meant, if anything.

When I awoke the next morning, a quick glance at my clock told me I had slept in later than I had planned. It was already 7:55. I grabbed my shower things and had a hurried shower. After the shower, I left my hair to dry naturally after putting some curling lotion in it to tame the frizz. I put on a little bit of makeup and headed downstairs.

When I walked into the dining room, I was embarrassed to find that the entire Manoso clan had beaten me down. They were already in the middle of their breakfast. Maria stood when I came in and said, "Good morning dear, I wasn't sure what time you would be down, so I kept a plate warm for you in the oven."

I sat in the empty seat beside Carlos and greeted everyone. Maria returned moments later and put a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and what looked like blueberry pancakes in front of me. I looked up at her and said, "This looks delicious. I hope you didn't go to any extra effort just because of me."

Maria laughed and said, "Don't worry Stephanie. I usually cook something like this for breakfast on Sunday mornings."

I looked down at my plate and took a bite of the eggs. I looked at the scrambled eggs more closely and saw that they had chopped vegetables and herbs mixed in with the eggs. I liked them very much. I finished the rest of the delicious breakfast and offered to help with the washing up. Maria gratefully accepted my help, and after 10 minutes of effort, the table was cleared and everything else was cleaned up and put away.

"Thanks for your help Stephanie, but don't feel obligated to help every time. Please relax and enjoy the rest of your day. Carlos tells me that you two are going to take the girls shopping and you are going to try and replace some of your destroyed clothes."

I nodded and said, "There are a few things that I need to buy, but the rest can wait until I get my insurance check. Oddly enough, my winter clothes and my undergarments took the brunt of the damage. I can definitely wait to replace my sweaters and long underwear."

Maria chucked at this and said, "You're probably right. The weather tends to be a little warmer this time of year. You and Carlos can take my car today. If I need to go anywhere, Ricardo will be home to take me. Have fun dear."

I thanked Maria and headed upstairs to finish getting ready for shopping. As soon as I reached the landing at the top of the stairs, I was bombarded with questions from Evelyn and Isabella about what time we were leaving and where we were going.

I looked at the excitement written on the girls' faces and said, "I'm not sure what time we're leaving. That depends on when our chauffeur is ready. As for where we're going, where would you recommend?"

A deeper voice than I was expecting answered, "I'm ready to go when you ladies are, but since I'm driving, I get to choose the place, and it's a surprise."

Both Evelyn and Isabella groaned, but the quickly retreated to their rooms to gather their belongings.

I looked at Carlos and said, "If you want, you can just drop us off and collect us later. I don't want to bore you with a day of shopping."

Carlos laughed and said, "I have a few things I need to buy for myself. We can split up when we get there."

I asked, "Where is there?"

"I was thinking about going to the outlet shopping mall in Elizabeth, just off the New Jersey Turnpike. I've never been there, but it's supposed to be nice."

"Sounds good to me, and I'm sure the girls will be happy with the choice. I have been there and there are lots of things to look at."

We told the girls about our destination and they seemed really excited. It only took them another 5 minutes before they were ready. We all climbed into the car and Carlos laughed when he turned to see both of his sisters in the back seat.

"Normally when you girls drive anywhere with me, you fight over which one of you gets to sit in the front seat. How come there was no bickering this time?"

Evelyn answered, saying "We assumed that you would want Steph to sit in the front, so we left it free for her."

"If one of you girls wants to sit up front, I'm willing to let you," I said.

Carlos shook his head and answered for them, "They're fine in the back, just where they are Steph."

I smiled and settled in for the journey, making a mental list of the things I needed. I knew I needed to make a trip into Victoria's Secret, but I dreaded the thought of dragging the girls and Carlos with me. Perhaps I could pull Carlos aside and explain my requirements so that he could accompany the girls while I did that aspect of my shopping.

When we arrived at the shopping centre, we all got out of the car and Carlos said, "I have a few things that I need to do. I can leave you ladies to do your thing for the next hour. I suggest that we all meet back here one hour so we can decide what to do for lunch. While we're eating, we can decide where to go and what to do next."

We all readily agreed, and Carlos split off from us as we entered the mall. The girls and I looked in several shops. They excitedly wandered around the Disney Store and then helped me pick out two nice business suits from Neiman Markus and several blouses from a few different shops.

When it was time for us to meet back up with Carlos, the girls had spent their birthday money and I was the new owner of enough clothes to tide me over until the insurance money arrived. The only things I was missing were those pesky undergarments.

We met up with Carlos at the appointed time and location. He was carrying a few bags, and when we were close enough, he and asked, "Why don't we put our shopping in the trunk of the car and then go to Applebee's for lunch?"

We all agreed by simply nodding and followed him to the car. Once all the bags were safely stowed, we made our way to the restaurant. The waitress that seated us couldn't take her eyes off Carlos. She led us to a booth beside the window and practically dropped the menus when he held out his hand to take one. Evelyn and Isabella climbed into one side of the booth, leaving Carlos and I to share the other side. This time, Carlos and I were facing the front of the restaurant, so he was able to clearly see the waitresses watching our table. In an attempt to hide his discomfort at the attention he was receiving, Carlos asked, "Were you successful in your shopping ladies?"

I laughed when both Evelyn and Isabella launched into an excited explanation of their successes. Carlos looked over at me grinning and said, "How about you Steph? Were you able to find anything?"

I nodded and replied, "Yes, I made a pretty good start. Your sisters have a really good eye and helped me a lot by pulling out my sizes when I found something I liked."

The waitress reappeared and took our drinks order, and as she walked away, she looked back over her shoulder and managed to walk right into another table. Both Evelyn and Isabella laughed at her, but Evelyn recovered first and said, "My poor handsome brothers always manage to attract the attention when they're out and about. If you weren't here Stephanie, I'm sure it would be even worse. "

I looked from Carlos to Evelyn and asked, "How is my presence making a difference?"

Evelyn laughed and said, "Well, from the perspective of a stranger observing our table, it looks like you are Carlos' girlfriend. If you weren't here, I'm sure we would have additional servers and they would stick around a lot longer. You're basically his shield when you're around."

Carlos laughed, looked at me and grinned. He reached his arm around my shoulder and said, "Come here Babe, if we're going to pretend you're my girlfriend, we're going to have to up our game."

Carlos still had his arm around my shoulder when the waitress arrived with our drinks. She took our food orders, and tried to make surreptitious looks at Carlos between each order she wrote down. When she left the table, she glared at me and I grinned back at her thanking her as she walked away.

My cheek caused the three Manosos to laugh as I tuned a dark shade of pink. Carlos leaned toward me and said, "I should bring you out with me more often. The look on that girl's face was pretty amusing."

The girls started talking amongst themselves. When it seemed they weren't paying us any attention, I said, "Carlos, after lunch, can you stay with the girls so I can make a quick trip to a store? I don't think it's really suitable to take them along with me and it would be extremely uncomfortable if we all went together."

Carlos nodded, but asked, "Which store?"

I blushed and replied, "Victoria's Secret."

"Darn, I'd love to go that store with you, but I can't really leave the girls alone. How about we wander around and you can call me when you're finished."

I laughed and agreed to his suggestion just in time to watch our waitress and another girl bring our food. When the four plates were placed in front of us, the waitress asked if we needed anything else. Carlos looked up at her and said, "No thanks, I think we're good." As soon as he said that, he kissed me on the cheek as he picked up my napkin, laying it on my lap.

We talked while we ate, but not about anything in particular. When the bill came, Carlos insisted on paying. We argued over it for a few moments, but when the waitress was nearing our table to collect our payment, Carlos shut me up by placing a quick kissing on my lips.

My eyes opened wide at this, but Carlos covered my reaction by hugging me towards him as he handed the waitress the wallet filled with cash.

As soon as the waitress left, Carlos let me go and continued on as if nothing had happened. Both the girls were looking at us like they wanted to say something, but the stern look on from Carlos must have kept them quiet.

When we walked out of the restaurant, we separated. Carlos and the girls went one way and I went the other. I was fortunate that Victoria's Secret was close to the restaurant, so I didn't have to go very far. I walked in and picked up five matching sets that were in the sale rack. I found a cute pyjama set that had a pair of jersey shorts and a matching tank top, and when I was waiting to pay, I noticed a cute little sexy sleep shirt, so I added it to my pile. I paid with my credit card and then left the store, calling Carlos to find out where they were.

"Hey Steph, we're actually just around the corner from you at the Armani store. It's just before H&M. Evelyn saw something in the window and though it would look good on you, why don't you come join us and find out?"

I agreed and walked around the corner and saw the store straight away. Standing in the window was a very smart pants suit. It was really tailored and looked spectacular on the mannequin, and as soon as Isabella saw me looking through the window, she rushed out to drag me in the store.

"Look Steph, that suit is marked down from $590 to $90. It's really nice and made from a mixture of fine wool and silk. I think you would look good in it."

I was surprised that it was marked down so much and that they had a suit in my size, so I was persuaded by the girls to try on the suit. Carlos even encouraged me and handed me the blouse that Evelyn picked out.

I carried the suit into the change room and immediately knew why the suit was so cheap. The inner seam of the trousers had frayed. I thought about it and was sure that it could be easily repaired, so I didn't let that bother me.

I put on the blouse, which was cornflower blue and buttoned it. When I pulled the jacket on, it felt like it had been made especially for me. Despite the tears on the inner seams of the trousers, they also fit perfectly. When I stood back from the mirror to take in my reflection, I was amazed at how good the suit made me look.

I could hear the girls begging me to show them the suit once it was on, so I nervously walked out of the changing room. As soon as the girls saw me, they exclaimed how much they liked the suit. Based on the look on Carlos' face, he also liked it, so I decided then and there that I should buy it. Maybe Molly's mother could fix the seams for me.

I went back into the changing room and emerged moments later holding the suit. I wasn't sure if I should get the blouse, but the sales woman assured me that it was also on sale, so I figured 'why not?'

When I went to the cashier, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the store was adding an extra 20% off of the lowest ticketed price. In the end, I only paid $100 for the suit and the blouse, making it less expensive than the suits I bought a Neiman Markus.

I was very happy with my most recent purchase and thanked the girls for dragging me in there. They were happy to help and had already contacted their mother about the seam before they showed the suit to me. "We texted Mama a picture of the seam damage and she said it would be easy to fix."

I smiled and said, "That's what I figured when I saw it. I will ask my friend Molly to take a look when I see her next."

Isabella looked confused and asked, "What do you mean? Mama said she could fix them in about 5 minutes."

I looked at the girls and replied, "Oh, I can't ask her to do that. Your family has already done so much for me."

Carlos rolled his eyes at me, a gesture that was repeated by his sisters. He looked at me and said, "You didn't ask Steph, she offered. There's a difference."

I looked at each of the Manosos in front of me and resigned myself to accepting another generous favour. I said, "If nobody else has anything to buy, why don't we go home? I have to start a new job tomorrow and I think I fancy an early night."

Everyone agreed, I picked up my bag from Victoria's Secret, and Carlos carried my suit bag that held my Armani suit.

When we arrived at the house, it was only around 2:30 and Ricardo and Maria were not home. We carried our bags into the house and the girls promised to show us their purchases down in the sitting room in one hour. I was relieved to have a bit of time to relax, so when Carlos suggested that we rest for a bit, I jumped at the suggestion. I wanted to unpack my purchases and lay down for a little while. Carlos left and went into this room and closed the door.

I left my door open because I was planning on making a trip to the restroom. Before that though, I wanted to unpack the suits I got from Neiman Markus and hang up my blouses. I was just putting the last blouse on a hanger in the empty closet when I sensed that I was not alone. When I turned and looked behind me, Carlos was standing in the door. He was watching me and was blushing so hard that I laughed out loud.

"Carlos, what's wrong?"

Carlos stuttered for a second and then said, "Steph, I'm really sorry, but I ended up with one of your bags. Somehow it got mixed up in my Abercrombie & Fitch bag."

When I looked at the bag in his hand, I also blushed. He was holding my Victoria's Secret bag with two fingers as if it might contain something contagious.

"I promise, as soon as I saw what it was, I didn't look inside, well not really. It was on its side and I had to push something inside that had fallen out."

I saw the look on Carlos' face and burst out laughing. When I caught my breath I said, "It's OK Carlos. It's not like there was state secrets in there, it's just underwear."

He was looking at his hands when he said, "I know it's just underwear, but that's something private and I shouldn't have interfered. I can think of better ways to see a girl's underwear."

I blushed and said, "It's OK Carlos, let's not talk anymore about this or I fear we both might blush ourselves into a permanent state. I'm sure you can hide it better than my pale skin can."

Carlos placed the bag on the bed and avoided looking me in the eye as he backed out of the room. When he got to the door, he looked up at me and smiled a sheepish grin and said, "I'll see you downstairs whenever you're ready."

I nodded and just as he escaped out of sight, I had a thought. "Hey Carlos?"

He popped his head back around my door, so I asked, "Now that you've seen my underwear, will you tell me what you bought?"

Carlos thought for a moment and then motioned for me to follow him. He walked into his room but I was reluctant to follow. I'd never been in there before so I was a bit hesitant. He looked at me standing in the doorway and said, "I don't know why, but I feel a little embarrassed showing you what I bought. It's not that it's anything out of the ordinary, but I've just had odd experiences with shopping and women."

"Carlos, just show me or I'll start imaging all kinds of weird things."

"OK, here goes." He opened one bag from Tommy Hilfiger and showed me a pair of blue jeans that were a medium blue colour and looked quite nice. He then pulled out the Abercrombie & Fitch bag and showed me a pair of really nice charcoal grey dress trousers. From the same bag, he pulled out a long sleeved white dress shirt that had subtle textured stripes in white.

The next bag had no logo on it so I couldn't tell where it came from, but it contained a nice pair of black dress shoes.

"That's a pretty good haul there Carlos. I especially think that white dress will look nice. I see one last bag Carlos, are you hiding something?" I asked teasingly.

Lastly, he pulled out a Calvin Klein bag, but refused to show me the contents. "I think I'll plead 'Victoria's Secret' on the contents of this bag."

I blushed at his comment and agreed that it was best if he kept the contents to himself. I watched as Carlos started to put his new clothes away in the closet. I was going to go back to my room, but I was curious about something.

"Carlos, you mentioned that you have had odd experiences with shopping and women. What did you mean by that? That is if you want to tell me."

Carlos turned and sat on the edge of his bed and said, "Whenever I went shopping with Lucida, she always tried to get me to buy clothes that didn't really suit me. I was just a student so why did I need a suit and a bunch of neckties or the latest fad outfit?

"It got to the point that if I needed something, I'd go alone, but Lucida always was around when I got back. Many times she complained about the things I bought, saying that they weren't suitable for me or weren't very flattering."

I looked at him and thought to myself that Carlos could wear a plastic bag and probably make it look flattering, but those trousers and that shirt would definitely look good. After finishing my thoughts, I heard Carlos chuckle and say, "I'm not sure plastic bags are really in this season Babe."

I looked at him like a deer caught in headlights and blushed. I asked, "Did I just say that out loud?"

Carlos chucked and replied, "Yeah Babe, you did. You should really learn to filter your thoughts before they get to your mouth because a guy could take something like that the wrong way."

"The wrong way? How could you take that comment the wrong way?"

Carlos stood from the bed and slowly walked over to me and said, "Like this," and as he got closer, he leaned in as if he was going to kiss me.

My head was screaming for me to run, but the rest of me was rooted on the spot. Fate however, stepped in and interrupted us before our lips met.

"Carlos, we're home," his mother yelled from downstairs.

Carlos looked at me with an apologetic look on his face, leaned his head out the door and replied, "I'll be right down Mama. I'm just putting my things away."

Maria called up again and said, "Tell Stephanie to bring me her new suit. I can fix it before I start dinner if she wants."

I looked at Carlos and blushed, not wanting to let on where I was at that point in time, but Carlos saved me and replied "I'll tell her on my way down. Be there in a minute."

As Carlos stepped back into his room, I stepped towards the door. He looked at me and said, "I'm going to finish what I started Steph, but when the time is right."

I didn't know what to say so I just nodded and walked back across the hall to my room.

True to her word, it took Maria about 5 minutes to fix the hem on my trousers. After I hung the repaired suit back up in my closet, I went down to the sitting room to watch the girls show off their purchases to their Papa and big brother.

Their show-and-tell lasted about 30 minutes, and when it was over, I excused myself. I wanted to find Maria, whom I assumed was in the kitchen slaving away. I was right, and when I walked in, she looked up at me and smiled. "Is there anything at all I can do to help Maria? I feel pretty useless just sitting around."

"Trust me dear, you've done more today to help me than you can imagine. When you took the girls to the mall, Ricardo and I had some time alone, which we greatly needed, especially today of all days. We went out for lunch and then we took a nice walk together. Ever since Carlos went to college, we've had little alone time, so we are ever so grateful for that."

I smiled at Maria and said, "If you ever want some alone time, please call me. I would be happy to entertain your girls for a day or even overnight. They are wonderful girls and we had a lot of fun today."

"Ricardo and I might just take you up on your offer Stephanie. That's very generous of you. Now why don't you go rest in the sitting room and I will come in and join you in a few minutes. Once I put this casserole in the oven, there's little to do until supper time."

* * *

More to come...


	12. Chapter 12 - The Luck of the Unlucky

I'm glad you are liking it so far. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Usual disclaimer goes here.

* * *

**12. The Luck of the Unlucky**

Dinner that evening was an animated, yet orderly affair. The girls were excited about showing their friends what they bought today at school the next day. I was excited to start my new job, and Ricardo was excited that both Carlos and I would be joining him on his morning commute.

"It only takes about 15 minutes to get from here to the office, but it's the silence that I don't like. I think I will enjoy having you two for company."

Carlos laughed and said, "Papa, you do know that your car has a state of the art stereo. You could listen to music to fend off the silence."

Ricardo laughed and replied, "Yes I did know that Carlos. It might surprise you to know that your old man has played music in that car, but that's not the type of silence I meant."

Carlos looked at him as if he was mad, causing his mother and I to laugh at him as well. "Son, sometimes there are things going on inside your head, and when you are alone, it is difficult not to dwell on them. Now girls," he said looking at Evelyn and Isabella. "I think it's about time for you two to go have a bath or a shower while your mother and I clean up down here.

Carlos and I both offered to help clean up after dinner, but Ricardo and Maria said that they'd like to do it themselves tonight. I shrugged and followed Carlos out of the dining room and left Maria and Ricardo to their chore.

When we walked into the sitting room, Carlos turned and looked at me. I didn't want to get into a heavy conversation, so I asked, "Is there something special about today for your parents?"

Carlos nodded and sat down on the end of the sofa. He indicated that I should join him. When we were both seated and facing each other, he started to speak. "Before my parents came here from Cuba, they had a baby boy. He got very sick because of the lack of medicine available at the time and he died. Today is the anniversary of his death. Since Rico, my parents have gone on to have 6 additional children, but in the 29 years since he died, my parents have spent today together no matter what has come along."

"That's very sad, and I'm grateful that I was here to help them spend some time alone together."

Carlos smiled and said, "I'm also grateful that you were here. I find it hard to relate to my little sisters. They're so much younger than me and I never know what they like to do for fun."

I smiled and saw that Carlos was looking at me intently. I wasn't sure how to handle that, so I looked down at my hands.

Carlos spoke a few minutes later in a very soft voice, almost a whisper. "Stephanie, I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable earlier in my room. I'm drawn to you for some reason, and I can't seem to think straight around you."

I looked up at the pained look on Carlos' face and said, "Carlos, I don't know about you, but I'm not ready for anything to happen between us at the moment. I'm still reeling about Ryan and Lucida, then there's my job and everything you and your family has done for me.

"Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy our time together, but right now, all I can handle is a friendship between us."

Carlos sighed and said, "Do you know that you are the first woman who has ever told me to back off? It's kind of refreshing that you see me as a person and not a fashion accessory. I think that is one of the main reasons that I like spending time with you."

"A person is the sum of all of their parts. You have a nice shell, but I wouldn't want anything to do with you if you were a jerk. You are a thoughtful and caring person, which makes your exterior a little easier on the eyes.

"I see the way girls stop in their tracks when they see you for the first time. It's like they are blinded by your beauty. The person you are on the inside allows me to see past your looks. It's like your personality acts like a pair of sunglasses."

Carlos laughed and joked, "As long as it doesn't act like a pair of beer goggles, I think I can live with that analogy."

I laughed and said, "Beer goggles make a person appear more attractive than they really are Carlos."

We both laughed at that, and when the laughter died down, Carlos had a serious look on his face again. He said, "I just want you to know that if you ever think you are ready for something more than friendship with me, I'll probably also be ready."

I looked at Carlos for a long while and finally said, "My immediate plans are for me to focus on my job with your father's firm. If that starts going well, then I promise you, I'll think about what you said."

Carlos nodded and said, "That's all I can ask, but please know, you can ask me for anything and I'll always be there to help as soon as I can."

"Thanks Carlos, I think I can say the same thing, although my 'as soon as I can' is dependent on public transportation."

Carlos and I continued to talk about work and our friends, so when I first heard my phone ringing, it didn't really register. The second time it rang, I ran upstairs and grabbed my phone. The caller id said that the number was an unknown international number. I didn't know who might be calling me from an international number, but I decided to answer it anyway.

"Hello, is this Miss Stephanie Plum?"

I confirmed my identity to a very American sounding voice.

"Miss Plum, this is Linda Morris. My husband Roger and I own the apartment building where you live."

My stomach fell at this news and my mind started reeling at the possible reasons she was calling. I decided to bit the bullet and ask, "Are you calling to ask me to move out of your building Mrs Morris?"

"No Stephanie, I'm actually calling to apologise for our hasty decision about evicting you from our building. We should have talked to some of your neighbours before we moved ahead with the eviction. We've heard from several of them since and they were all very supportive of you. I can't tell you how sorry I am for any inconvenience we caused.

"Detective Carter has filled us in this evening about what happened at your apartment yesterday. We know that this is not your fault and we don't want you to worry about not having a place to live. As a matter of fact, the detective told us that you have had to leave temporarily because they want to run some surveillance.

"He wasn't sure how long you would be expected to stay away from your apartment, but he did mention that if they could put a body double in place, it would be easier to catch the culprit. He needed our permission to run this, so I said I'd talk to you about an alternative solution that might work for everyone.

"We have an apartment building in Newark that is currently under renovations. The apartment on the top floor was finished first because it is going to be our apartment when we visit. Roger was there last week to oversee the final changes and it is now ready. We would like to offer you that apartment and since you're already paid rent on your other apartment, we'll let you stay there for the remainder of the summer rent-free."

I spluttered trying to speak and said, "How can you afford the loss of rent revenue?"

"That will be our personal apartment when we visit, and we don't plan on visiting until Christmas time this year. We don't charge ourselves rent, so we won't lose any income. Besides, if you are away from your apartment in New Brunswick, the police will be able to do a better job. The renovations start at 8AM and finish by 8 PM so you shouldn't be disturbed by the building work."

I was silent for a moment and then said, "Can I think about this for a day or two?"

"Of course Stephanie, I realise it is out of the blue, and based on what you've been through lately, scepticism is a smart move. I'll tell you what, if you stop by the building tomorrow after work, the door man can show you up to the apartment so you can look around. Take a friend or two with you so you can have a second opinion.

Once you've made a decision, just email me and let me know. I'll instruct the doorman to give you the necessary keys and information about the security systems."

"Thank you Mrs Morris. You don't know how much this means to me, especially knowing that Detective Carter will have a better chance of stopping whoever is harassing me. I really appreciate this opportunity and will email you tomorrow night after I've been by the apartment."

"There is no rush Stephanie. If you want a few additional days to think about it, I understand. I also understand your dilemma of a accepting such an offer, but let me put something on the table. If you accept my offer and you live in Newark, you can skip the daily commute on public transportation."

I laughed and said, "That is one big selling point. I don't know what I've done to warrant such faith in me, but I will do my best not to let you down."

"You can blame Detective Carter if you want. He explained how impressed he was with the way you were handling everything. He also said that you have some good friends backing you up, so he wasn't worried about anything other than your living situation. I am able to fix that, so I wanted to help."

We spoke for a few more minutes. Linda gave me the address to the apartment and her email address so I could contact her when I was ready. When I hung up, I sat on the edge of my bed for a moment simply staring at my phone. I went over the conversation in my head and realised how surreal it all seemed.

I put my phone in my pocket and went back downstairs to the sitting room that was now empty. I sat in the same spot as before and thought about what living in Newark over the summer would be like.

I had my back to the door and I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn't hear Carlos come back in the room. When he sat down on the other end of the sofa facing me, I snapped out of my reverie.

"What's up Steph? It smells like something is burning."

I narrowed my eyes at Carlos' comment and said, "I just had the most surreal phone call I've ever experienced."

"How so? Who was it?"

"It was the owner of my apartment building, Linda Morris."

"Was she calling to overturn the overturned eviction notice, because you can stay here as long as you'd like."

"No, that's what I thought at first too. Instead, she offered me their apartment in Newark for the remainder of the summer. In the meantime, the police will place a body double in my apartment and try to catch whoever has been harassing me. Once that is over, they'll use the time of my absence to do several small repairs that are best done when there is no tenant around.

"I can go look at the apartment tomorrow after work and decide if I want to stay there or not. Apparently, it's in a secure building and the apartment itself has a very sophisticated alarm system. I'd be safer there than I would be at my apartment back in New Brunswick."

Carlos looked at me and said, "It would also cut down on your commute and my driving time when I come for a visit." I smiled at his comment and nodded thinking that the biggest downside was the distance I would be away from Molly and Christie. We would have to plan weekend get-togethers well in advance, and there would be no more spontaneous pizza and a movie nights until classes started again in the autumn.

Carlos must have sensed some of what I was thinking because he said, "I'm sure you'll get to see your friends plenty over the summer. I go to see the guys regularly, so you're welcome to come with me. Besides, from what I've heard from Lester, both Vince and Jimmy have been pretty busy themselves. Maybe Molly and Christie will be too busy with their new boyfriends to want to spend every weekend with you."

Instead of making me feel better, his comment made me feel worse. I didn't know why, but the thought that Molly and Christie would be busy all summer with their new boyfriends was a depressing thought.

"I'm sorry Steph, I didn't mean to make it sound like your friends didn't want to spend time with you, and I was just trying to make you feel better by knowing that they weren't sitting wishing you were there too. Sometimes my mouth says the wrong thing and I'm sorry."

"It's not that Carlos, I was just struck by the fact that my two best friends are happy and I'm fighting so hard just to stay afloat on a sea of disaster and depression."

"I don't want you to feel uncomfortable Steph, so I won't hug you and hold you right now, but I can listen. Why don't you tell me what's bothering you?"

I leaned my head against the back of the sofa and looked at Carlos. He mimicked my position so we were facing each other. He started at me and waited for me to talk.

Finally, I took a deep breath and said, "I'm not really sure where to start. It's like I am living two lives and I don't know which one is really mine. There is the life where I do what is expected and there is the life where I do what I want.

"With everything that has happened over the past week, it's like my two lives are at war with each other. My mother is so angry with me that she doesn't even want to talk to me. I've seemingly been run out of my apartment, and to make matters worse, I no longer have a person to fall back on. Molly and Christie are busy with their new boyfriends and I'm just at a bit of a loss."

Carlos reached over and patted me on the arm and then said, "Molly and Christie will still be around. They are your friends and that will not change. Besides, you'll be busy with your new job and living the corporate life in Newark if you like this apartment, so you might be the one too busy to see your friends. Besides, you've always got me to lean on, and I'm the closest out of all of your friends, so that should make me your go-to option."

I smiled at Carlos and said, "Thanks for listening. I know it's silly to worry about the things I can't control, but I have been listening to my mother's rants when she's disappointed in me. It gets depressing after a while.

"Listen, I think I'm going to call it a night. Tomorrow is a big day and I want to get a good night's sleep. I'll tell your dad about the Morris' apartment in the morning and see if he wants to come check it out with me. Goodnight Carlos."

I waved at him and walked into the hallway on my way upstairs. I could hear Maria and Ricardo talking quietly in the dining room, but I didn't want to interrupt them, so I headed up the stairs. When I got ½ ways up the steps, Ricardo came into the hall and asked, "Are you heading to bed dear?"

I nodded, wished him and Maria a good night and then proceeded up to my room. After a quick wash, I curled up under the covers of my bed and fell asleep after a few minutes of quiet contemplation.

* * *

So, maybe things are looking up for Stephanie. More soon.


	13. Chapter 13 - Bright, Shiny and New

A bonus chapter for you today. Enjoy!

JE characters belong to JE.

* * *

**13. Bright, Shiny and New**

When we met at the door in the morning, Carlos was wearing his grey trousers and white shirt. Because it was such a beautiful day, I decided to wear my skirt suit. Ricardo took one look at us and said, "My my, don't you two look great. Let's get on the road and maybe we'll beat some of the rush hour traffic."

The journey to the office was relatively painless. I explained my conversation with Linda Morris to Ricardo, and he was happy to accompany me to take a look at the apartment on the way home. If I decided I wanted to stay there, he'd happily let Carlos help me move my things. I thanked Ricardo, and once we got to the office, Carlos and I were ushered into the new employee induction training.

The morning went by extremely quickly. We had our pictures taken for our employee ids, we had a detailed tour of the building and we watched several videos about HR policies such as sexual harassment and fraud.

When we were released for lunch, both Carlos and I went up to see Ricardo, who had suggested that we join him for lunch at the diner. Carlos knocked on his father's door, and when Ricardo answered, he smiled and grabbed his jacket and ushered us out of the building.

When we walked into the diner, it was quite crowded. Ricardo directed us towards an empty table near the back. Ricardo sat facing the front of the restaurant and Carlos and I sat across from him with our backs to the front. When the waitress came to take our drinks order, she greeted Ricardo like he was a regular customer, but barely paid Carlos and me any attention.

Carlos raised his eyebrow, and when the waitress left Ricardo said, "I come in here at least once a week, sometimes more if I'm in a rush. I can order at the bar and eat in my office on really busy days."

I didn't say anything, but I suspected that Carlos was a little bit disappointed about the lack of attention he received. Maybe he like the attention, but it was more likely that he wanted to repeat the banter we shared the last time we were here. I decided to ignore him and concentrate on the menu, looking for something that would taste good, but wouldn't get slopped on my new clothes. In the end, I decided on a club sandwich and some potato chips. They were the safest option on a menu filled with chili, hot dogs and many other messy foods.

When the waitress took our food order, Carlos' presence was finally noticed. Ricardo and I took the opportunity to tease him and ganged up him. After our food was delivered, we teased Carlos some more. Carlos looked at us both and said, "If I recall correctly, last time we were here Steph, you implied that we were going to start a family."

I choked on my drink and laughed. "What I said was, 'let's talk about family later' Carlos. I meant your family because we were here right before I met your father for the first time. You were the one who elaborated and started talking about practicing for a family."

I was a little red, but the colour of Carlos' face matched that of a beetroot. He was so red that Ricardo burst out laughing. He said, "Son, be careful with this one, she's probably going to outsmart you at every turn." Carlos looked a little deflated by Ricardo's comment, so when I caught his eye and he winked at me, I couldn't help but laugh.

We finished our lunch and returned to work where Carlos and I spent the remainder of the day learning the various computer security protocols. At around 2:30 PM, Amanda came down to show us to our respective desks.

We followed Amanda into the largest room in the building, where the majority of employees worked. It was an open plan room with desks grouped into fours. Since I was going to be splitting my time between two departments, I was sat at a desk that was between the head of marketing and one of the top accountants.

Carlos was going to be working with the company's business contracts as well as sales, but there really wasn't a set department for that as Ricardo tended to do a majority of that work. As a result, Carlos was assigned the desk directly across from me. Amanda said it was so both of us would see a familiar face every day. Personally I think she liked the idea of keeping me and Carlos close. She was smiling more than was normal when she was showing us our desks.

We settled into our workstations and were thrown into the deep end immediately. Carlos was given three contracts to put together for his father while I was given an audit report from one of our customers whose accounts needed to be balanced.

When I next looked up from my computer, most of the desks in the office were empty. I looked at the clock and realised that it was almost 5 PM. I couldn't believe that 2 and ½ hours had passed already. I looked up and even Carlos was nowhere to be seen. I panicked for a moment thinking that Ricardo and Carlos may have left without me. No sooner than I thought this, they both walked into the room laughing, with huge smiles on their faces.

Ricardo looked at me and asked, "Are you ready to go and look at this apartment? Maria is aware that we might be a little late and has assured me that supper will be just as edible at 6:30."

I nodded and shut down my computer. I grabbed my bag and followed the men to the parking garage. I gave Ricardo the address of the apartment and he laughed. "We don't need the car for this. The building is only four blocks from here. It would be easier to walk than it would be to try to find a place to park."

I was so shocked at this news that my mouth gaped open. Carlos came towards me and used the index finger on his left hand to close my mouth. He laughed at my reaction and said, "Let's walk that treacherous journey and see the neighbourhood where your potential new digs are located."

Ricardo pointed us in the right direction, and 5 minutes later, we were standing in front of an impressive building. A man inside the door saw us standing there and came out and asked me, "Are you Miss Plum?"

I still hadn't found my voice, but I was able to nod. He smiled and said, "Hi there, I'm Jonny, the head of security here. Mrs Morris wants me to show you up to their apartment, but before we go up, I'll explain the building's security.

"There is a man at this desk 24 hours a day. Nobody gets into this building without them knowing about it. Every guest must sign in and be announced before they are able to come up and see you. If you do not wish to see a guest, they will be turned away."

I nodded and followed Jonny to the elevator. He punched the call button and the doors opened immediately. Ricardo, Carlos and I followed Jonny into the elevator and waited as we were lifted to the top floor of the building.

When the doors opened on the top floor, there was a short corridor. There was only one apartment door and a smaller door that Jonny said was storage. Jonny pulled out a ring of keys and unlocked the door. He stood aside so that I could enter first.

My jaw dropped as soon as I walked into the entrance way. The floors and walls were tiled in sheets of cream marble with flecks of gold and brown swirled throughout. Jonny laughed at the look on my face and started explaining what was where. "In the living room, there are two large sectional sofas and three matching recliners, all in soft brown leather. There is a 75-inch wall-mounted plasma TV behind that panel, the remote control is in the coffee table.

"There are speakers wired to the stereo throughout the apartment, so you can enjoy music no matter where you are. The Morrises are very big music lovers. The kitchen has every appliance imaginable, and the dining room is big enough that you could host a dinner part for 20 people.

"There is a library/study down that hall, and there is a large powder room in that corner behind the front door. The master bedroom with a fully equipped bathroom is behind those sliding doors. There are two additional bedrooms and a full bathroom upstairs, as well as a fully equipped gym. And last but not least, there is a Jacuzzi, sauna and a small pool out on the deck off the hallway upstairs."

I was looking around like a lost little puppy, and Ricardo and Carlos were not faring much better. Carlos walked over to me after looking at the television and whispered, "You have to move in here Babe, that television is spectacular."

I laughed and asked Jonny, "Do you mind if I wander around for a few minutes?"

"Sure, I don't mind. I'll leave you to it and I'll go back down to the front desk. There are currently no other tenants, but there may be some deliveries. I don't want to leave the front desk unmanned for too long."

After Jonny left, we looked in every room, each one as beautiful as the last. We went out on the deck and we were each speechless at our surroundings. There was a large BBQ, a covered bar and seating area, as well as several folded chairs and loungers that would be perfect for sunbathing.

Ricardo peeked under the pool cover and said, "This is a little bigger than I was expecting. When he said this was a small pool, I was expecting something like a 6 foot square. This is more like a 25 meter long pool, adequate for swimming laps."

Carlos nodded and continued to snoop. He looked back at me and said, "You know what Steph, you are the luckiest unlucky person I have ever met. So much crap has happened to you in such a short time, so the universe or fate or whatever you want to call it, has delivered you a solid. This place is awesome"

I agreed with Carlos but said, "You are right, this is an amazing apartment. I just don't think I'd feel comfortable living here. It's so nice, and I'd be afraid I'd break or scuff something. Besides, it's too big for just me."

Ricardo smiled and said, "I understand how you feel Stephanie, but you have to admit, it would be a pretty cool place to live for a few months."

I nodded and said, "Come on guys, I'll have to think about it."

We all walked out of the apartment and when we returned to the lobby, Jonny said, "Let me guess, you really liked it, but it's too much for just one person, or you're afraid you'd break something?"

Carlos laughed and said, "That's exactly what she said, almost word for word."

Jonny smiled and said, "I'm sure there are dozens of reasons not to want to live here, but don't forget to focus on the positive reasons as well. I do hope you decide to live here as it would be nice to have another person around. None of the other apartments will be finished until at least November."

"I'll think about it Jonny. I'll let Mrs Morris know when I've made my decision. Thanks for your help tonight."

We waved goodbye to Jonny and walked back to the car. The journey home was made in silence, and when we pulled into the driveway, Ricardo got out of the car and preceded Carlos and I into the house. Carlos walked beside me, put his arm around my shoulder and said, "A penny for your thoughts Babe."

I blushed and said, "I'm embarrassed to say that I was imaging sun bathing on the deck and cooling off in the pool."

"I like the sound of that too. Maybe we can make a list after supper to help you decide. We can list all of the positive aspects and any negative things you can think of."

After we finished eating, that's exactly what we did. The girls had gone to bed, so Ricardo, Maria, Carlos and I sat around the dining room table discussing the pros and cons of me living in the Morris' apartment.

Maria was the first to speak. "I think you should start with the practical issues first, then move to the more emotional ones. For example, the commute is a plus, but being away from your friends is a minus."

I agreed, so added those to opposite columns on a piece of paper. After about an hour, the positive side was just edging in front of the negative column. That was until Carlos mentioned the pool, sunbathing, sitting in the Jacuzzi under the stars, watching a film on a gigantic television and half a dozen other things. In the end, I had to admit that it looked more and more likely that living in that apartment was going to become a reality.

Ricardo and Maria were very supportive and told me that I could stay with them for as long as it took to make my decision or my apartment in New Brunswick was ready. I thanked them for everything and bid them goodnight. Carlos followed me up the stairs and gave me one more positive thing to add to my list. "It will be easier for me to visit you in Newark than if you were all the way in New Brunswick."

I laughed at that. "I'll have to think about that one. I'm not sure whether it's a positive or a negative thing. Maybe I will cherish the days that I don't have to look at that smug look on your face. I'm sure that if you did come visit me there, you'd be completely obsessed with some type of sports on the massive TV."

"You've got me there Babe. I want you for your TV, not for the pool, Jacuzzi, good company, or even the secure building."

I stuck my tongue out at him and closed my door in his face laughing.

I pulled out my laptop and thought about what I was going to say in my email to Mrs Morris as I waited for the computer to boot. I opened my email client and started to compose the email.

After about 20 minutes, I took a break and went to wash up and brush my teeth before bed. I returned to my room. I decided to finish writing the email in the morning, so I put my laptop to sleep and crawled under my covers, still not 100% sure what my answer about moving to the apartment was going to be.

* * *

Well, will she move or will she stay with the Manosos? What would you do?


	14. Chapter 14 - Let Dreams Guide Decisions

Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Usual disclaimer applies.

* * *

14.** Let Your Dreams Guide Your Decisions**

During the night, I had several strange dreams and one relatively scary one. I couldn't remember much about the dreams, but I did remember smiling in the Morris' apartment. I also remember being scared in my old apartment. That right there was the deciding factor.

Until the issue with my break-ins and the Molotov cocktail were solved, I wasn't safe in my apartment in New Brunswick. The apartment here in Newark had plenty of security, and the Manosos were nearby if I ever had an emergency.

I woke up my computer and erased most of what I had written the night before. This time, I thanked Linda for her generous offer, and accepted it graciously. I also asked if it would OK if I invited the Manosos over when I moved in this Saturday. I knew that the girls would love to swim in the pool, and we could get some pizza or cook something on the BBQ. I sent off the email and then went to have a shower and get ready for work.

The Manoso men and Maria were very happy for me when I told them about my decision. The girls on the other hand, were a little sad to see me leave. I was also sad to leave. I felt at home here and I never was criticised or compared to another daughter from the Burg.

By the time I arrived at the office, Linda Morris had replied.

_Stephanie, _

_I'm very happy that you will be staying in our apartment. Despite what you think, it is not an imposition. Having somebody there makes our insurance on the apartment and the building itself significantly less expensive, so this is helping us a great deal._

_Please feel free to invite any of your friends and to use the facilities. All of the operating instructions for everything in the apartment are in the filing cabinet in the hall closet._

_I will inform Jonny that you will arrive Saturday with some guests to help you move in._

_Please let us know if you need anything or if there are any problems. Also, don't hesitate to contact Jonny if needed. He lives in the only other finished apartment on the ground floor of the building._

_I look forward to future correspondence with you, and good luck living in Newark. _

_Yours Truly, _

_Linda Morris_

When I finished reading the email I looked up and saw that Carlos was smiling at me.

"Carlos, what are you doing on Saturday afternoon?"

"At this point in time, I don't think I have any plans. Why? What's up?"

"I want to invite you and your family to my new apartment. Actually, I'd like your help to get me moved in and then I'd like to invite your family for dinner, a dip in the pool or a film on my gigantic television that you're so fond of."

"I think the girls would really love to swim in the pool. My parents would probably love just lounging on the deck, and there will probably be some sport or another that I could watch on that gigantic television of yours.

"I can drive you and your things over to the apartment just after lunch. You can get settled in and we can either go to the market or we can just order in. You can be the boss and I will be your willing slave for the day."

"Too bad you offered to be my slave on a day that doesn't require a lot of physical labour. I only have a few bags of clothes that need to be moved, and they're not very heavy."

"I'm sure you'll find something useful for me to do. We can talk about it later though. I have to go meet with my father and a new client. I'll see you later Babe."

I watched Carlos walk away and then returned my attention to the tax return I was working on. It was the personal income tax forms for one of Ricardo's first ever business clients. He is a recent widower with a fixed monthly income, and Ricardo asked me to take a look at the filed returns for the past few years, just in case something could be improved next year.

I spent the rest of the day reviewing the forms, but it wasn't the end of the following day that I had anything to report. I gathered my thoughts into an email and sent it off to Ricardo. It turns out that his client had been paying taxes on a leased building for the past 5 years that no longer belonged to him. As a result, he had overpaid around $6000 of taxes that he could claim back.

On the ride home that evening, Ricardo thanked me for my thorough attention to details. "When I called Marco to tell him of that small oversight, he was very grateful. This was a personal favour, and I'm very glad that we were able to help. He was a great client over the years, and this has been a particularly hard year for him. Thank you very much Stephanie."

I was quite happy about my success, and I let it carry me though the rest of the week. I was so engrossed in the work I was doing that I barely noticed Carlos' absence on the days he wasn't there.

On Friday morning, I was reviewing the accounts of one of our larger customers. They thought that some money had gone missing, but they couldn't pinpoint where the problem was. I noticed a few minor discrepancies that concerned me, but I wasn't sure what to make of them. I needed some guidance, so I called up to Amanda to see if Ricardo was free. I explained my situation to Amanda and she promised to call me back as soon she could talk to Ricardo.

I sat at my desk, finding three more curious entries before I heard back from Amanda. "Ricardo is on his way down to you right now. He'll be there momentarily."

Sure enough, as soon as I hung up the phone, Ricardo walked into the room and over to my desk. "What's up Steph? Amanda says that you found something curious in the shipping company's finances."

I spent the next 15 minutes showing Ricardo the odd entries I had found. Qith his assistance, we found several more. After about an hour, we were confident that we knew why there was missing money.

"I'm going to call the customer and have him come in as soon as possible. I'd like you to sit in on that meeting because you were the one to find the discrepancies. The CEO may have questions for you on how you discovered them, and how to prevent them in the future."

I agreed and then took a quick break for lunch. When I returned to my desk, there was a note asking me to come up to Ricardo's office as soon as I returned. The client was nearby so he'd be here shortly. I put my things down at my desk and walked upstairs, slightly nervous about meeting with a client. I was also thankful that I chose to wore my Armani suit that morning because it gave me a little bit more confidence, and I needed all I could get.

Amanda greeted me when I arrived and ushered me into Ricardo's office. We met with the client, outlined the problem that somebody was skimming off the top of his profits and attempting to make it look like stationary orders that never were delivered. Who needs that much stationary in the first place?

The customer was going to launch an internal investigation to find the person that was skimming from his organisation. He was very grateful for our assistance and left with a huge smile on his face.

When we were alone, Ricardo turned to me and said, "You've done really well for your first week. You regained a dear old friend of mine a sizeable chunk of money and you single-handedly discovered that an employee was skimming. I think I'll assign you to another customer who is about to be audited because it can't account for some of its funds.

"The government thinks that there is something illegal going on here, but the jewellery shop owner is a long-time client, and they've only started having problems in the past few years. Perhaps you can work your magic there as well."

I blushed at his attention and said, "I'd be happy to take a look, but wouldn't one of your more senior accountants be more suited to something like this?"

"Actually, none of the senior accountants would accept this job. They all thought it was too tedious or that the client was guilty. I'm the only one who thinks something other than plain fraud is going on here. You seem to have an aptitude for this sort of thing, so if you don't mind, I'd really appreciate it if you could take a look."

"OK. I'll start straight away." I stood to leave, but Ricardo stopped me. He said, "Actually Steph, why don't you leave it and start first thing on Monday. Maria is making a special goodbye dinner tonight, and you have worked hard enough already this week. I know it's only 4PM, but let's start the weekend a little early and head home. Carlos is getting dropped off by a friend, and he'll be home just in time for dinner."

I ran down to my office to grab my things and met Ricardo at the car. The rush hour traffic was a little heavier than usual, but we still made it home early.

Maria greeted us when we came in, but she refused my help in the kitchen. I ran upstairs and changed out of my Armani suit and into a comfortable pair of shorts and a cute t-shirt that I managed to salvage from my destroyed wardrobe. The t-shirt is one of my favourites, so I was happy that it escaped ruin at the hands of whoever broke into my apartment. The tee is black and quite fitted. On the front, it has a picture what at first appears to be Charlie's Angels. On closer inspection, all three differently posed figures are Marvin the Martian. Instead of a gun, he's holding his space modulator.

I walked into the sitting room and was immediately pulled into a high-stakes game of Crazy 8's count down with Evelyn and Isabella. The stakes they were using were actual candy, and you know that I love me some candy!

I hadn't played a card game like this in a really long time, so I was constantly losing the candy that the girls gave me to start out with. When Carlos and Tom came in around 5:30, I was tenaciously holding on to my last Tootsie Roll. I was slowly catching up to the girls, and purposefully holding on to some of the cards they needed to go out. When I jumped down to the twos, I gained back some of my lost candy and the girls were looking nervous. We were now on an even level, all trying to find the twos in the deck of cards.

The tension in the room was palpable and no words were spoken as we each took our turn. Carlos and Tom were watching us with amusement but they knew better than to say anything. When my next turn came around the suit was hearts and I was down to my last card. Unfortunately, my card was neither a heart nor a two. My card was the 7 of diamonds, so I was forced to take a card. I picked up a two, thought for a moment, and even though there were no clubs in my hand, I put the two down on the discard pile and called clubs.

Evelyn played a three of clubs, and Isabella laid a 3 of diamonds on Evelyn's card. Isabella's change of suit was exactly what I was hoping for. I laid down my last card, hearing both Evelyn and Isabella complain that I tricked them by calling clubs. I simply shrugged and picked up one card, the Ace round and said, "Last card."

I had an evil grin on my face. I looked behind me and noticed Carlos and Tom for the first time and waved. I saw Carlos whisper something to Tom and quiet down when Evelyn threw him a dark glare.

Evelyn put the 7 of clubs on my last card and then Isabella put down the 4 of clubs. I looked at both girls, grinned, and then put down the Ace that I had just picked up. I had won the game and all of the candy as a result. The girls were good sports, so I shared the candy with them and then let them go and share the news with their parents.

Carlos laughed at me and said, "You were pretty serious playing with my little sisters there Babe."

I laughed and said, "You should have seen the first two games. Those little girls are ruthless."

I looked at Tom and said "How's it going Tom?"

Tom isn't a man of many words, so I wasn't surprised to hear his reply. "It's going good Steph."

Maria popped her head in the door and said, "Hey Pierre, are you going to stay for dinner?"

Tom looked at Carlos and then back at Maria and said, "Sure, as long as there's enough food."

"Don't worry Pierre, I made plenty."

"Thanks Mrs Manoso, it's been a long time since I've had one of your home-cooked meals."

Maria smiled and said, "Dinner will be ready in about 20 minutes."

After she left, I turned and looked at Carlos and Tom and asked, "Who is Pierre?"

Tom looked slightly sheepish and said, "My real name is Pierre Sherman. I've known the Manosos my whole life and Mrs Manoso refuses to call me anything but the name my parents gave me."

"OK, but why are you called Tom then?"

Carlos laughed and said, "That's Lester's fault. Have you ever heard of rhyming slang?"

I thought for a moment and asked, "You mean Cockney Rhyming Slang?"

"That's exactly what I mean. Lester's mother is a professor at NYU, and when Lester was 12, they took a trip to Cambridge University in England. While they were there, Lester made friends with the janitor who like to talk in rhyming slang.

"While Lester was away that summer, Tom grew about a foot and a half. When Lester returned, he took one look at Tom and said something along the lines of "Wow, you're as big as a tank, a Sherman Tank." At first, Lester started calling him Sherman Tank. That moniker morphed into Thomas the Tank Engine, which was later shortened to Thomas the Tank, and eventually, just Tom. For some reason, it stuck and the rest of us still use it today."

"That's a cute story, but that's not really Rhyming Slang."

Carlos nodded and said, "Yeah, we know, but that's how Lester likes to explain his reasoning. Besides, it makes for an interesting story."

"I suppose it is a cute story, even if some people still call you Pierre."

Tom had a sheepish look on his face that reminded me of when people blushed. Fortunately for him, his skin colour was so dark that he could blush anytime he wanted it and nobody would ever know.

We had a lively dinner that evening. We discussed the plans for the following day and everyone seemed happy with a little fun in the sun. The girls were excited about swimming in my pool, Maria was looking forward to the Jacuzzi, and somehow Carlos talked me into inviting Tom, Lester and Bobby.

I also wanted to invite Molly and Christie, but Tom informed me that Vince and Jimmy had taken them to Point Pleasant for the weekend.

When Tom left that evening, he and Carlos had already contacted Lester and Bobby. Tom would collect them and bring them to my apartment around 4 the next afternoon. The plans were all made and I was getting excited to live and entertain in that fabulous apartment.

* * *

The next chapter will follow soon.


	15. Chapter 15 - Moving Day

Here's the next chapter. It's a little longer than the previous one. Enjoy!

* * *

**15. Moving Day**

At breakfast the following morning, the girls chatted animatedly about going shopping that morning for new swimsuits. Each of the girls had grown out of their suit from the previous year, so Maria was taking them shopping after breakfast.

Carlos was a late riser on the weekends, so I packed up all of the clothes that would fit into the duffle bags I brought with me. My suits were placed in their carrying bags, and I was left with a couple of piles of clothes that I had bought that didn't fit into my bags. I stood there staring at the clothes when Ricardo poked his head in the door and handed me a small suitcase.

"I remembered that you only had two small bags when you came here, and that you've been shopping. I thought this might help. You can empty it when you get to the apartment and we can bring it back with us tonight."

I smiled at him and said, "That's perfect. Thanks Ricardo, I was beginning to contemplate getting a garbage bag from the kitchen to carry this and my things that are in the bathroom."

Ricardo left me to my packing, and by the time Carlos finally emerged from his bedroom around 10, my things were already packed and waiting by the front door.

"I'm sorry I slept in so long Steph, I forgot to set my alarm. I just need a quick shower and I'll be ready to go."

I looked at my watch and replied, "There's no rush Carlos. It's only 10 and your family isn't due to arrive until 3PM. Take your time, have some breakfast, and we'll go once you are ready."

While Carlos showered, I gathered the sheets on my bed and placed them in the laundry basket in the hall. A few minutes later, I finished searching my room for anything I might have missed and came up empty. Content with not leaving anything behind, I took my towels off the rack behind the door and went to put them in the laundry hamper.

When I walked out of my room, Carlos was just emerging from the shower and he was only wearing a towel around his waist. I stood there staring as he walked past me into his bedroom. Before he closed the door he smirked and said, "You're staring Babe. Are you rethinking your friend position?"

I couldn't find my voice so I shook my head instead. I then hurried to deposit the towels in my arms into the hamper before making my escape downstairs.

Carlos came down a few minutes later to find me and Ricardo in the sitting room. He looked at his father and asked, "Papa, which car can we take?"

"You'll have to take my car. Your mother took the girls in hers this morning and she probably won't be back before lunch time."

Carlos nodded and said, "I'm ready whenever you are Steph. I'll start carrying your stuff out to the car now."

I told Carlos I'd follow him in a minute. I turned to Ricardo and said, "I am very grateful to you and your family for everything you have done for me these past two weeks. You have treated me like I was part of your family, and most of all, you made me feel safe. I will never be able to thank you enough. If there is ever anything that I can help you with, please ask.

"If you want a night out or a weekend away with Maria, I'd be happy to let the girls stay with me, I love spending time with them. If there is anything else I can do, don't hesitate to ask."

Ricardo hugged and thanked me and said, "We may take you up on your weekend offer with the girls. We've been thinking of a weekend getaway, but Carlos' job at the gym doesn't always mean he's available on the weekends. We'll let you know when we make our plans. That is a very generous offer, and one that I'm sure all parties can enjoy. The girls love spending time with you."

Ricardo walked with me to the front door and helped carry out the last two bags. We packed everything safely in the trunk and then headed to my new apartment. I was really excited, but looking over at Carlos, he looked like he was glowing with excitement.

"Carlos, why do you look more excited than I do?"

"I'm not excited about you moving as much as I'm excited about driving my father's Mercedes. I never get to drive this car, and when I do, my father is usually in the passenger seat. I'm just a little excited, that's all."

I laughed at this and replied, "And here I was thinking that you were excited that you were finally getting rid of me."

"I'm a little disappointed actually. You got to see me in a towel, fresh from the shower, but I never had the privilege of seeing you in a towel. Now that you're gone, my chances are slim to none."

"Slim? Don't you mean non-existent?"

"I will admit that the chance of seeing you after a shower wearing only a towel is extremely low at this point in time. That doesn't mean that I will rule it out as a possibility at some point in the future."

"In your dreams Manoso," I joked. "Too late Babe," was his reply.

When we pulled up in front of the apartment building, Jonny met us and gave me a set of keys that contained a key fob to get into the underground garage. He told me to park anywhere, and to contact him if I had any questions.

I explained that two cars would arrive at 3 and 4 this afternoon and he assured me that he would have garage access ready for them when they arrived. I made a mental note to get Carlos to call his parents and Tom to explain what they needed to do when they arrived.

We drove into the garage and Carlos pulled into the spot right beside the elevator. We loaded the elevator so we didn't have to make two trips, and ascended to my new apartment.

Twenty minutes later, all of my clothes were safely put away in the huge walk in closet. My suits and dressier clothes were hanging, while my more casual clothes were stowed away in one of the dressers. I had ordered Carlos out of the room when I started to unpack my underwear. He feigned disappointment, but I'm sure he was happy for the excuse to go play with the television.

I walked into the living room to find the television off and Carlos nowhere in sight. He had turned on some soft classical music, and remembering that the music was played throughout the apartment, I went looking for him.

I searched for a few minutes and found him out on the deck. It was a beautiful, warm and sunny day, and he was taking the opportunity to lie in the sun. I looked at him and was a bit surprised to see him in a pair of shorts and nothing else. I didn't remember him carrying a bag of his own, so I assumed that he was wearing the shorts under the jeans he wore over here.

When he heard me walk across the deck, he looked up at me and said, "It's a beautiful day out here Babe. Do you have a cute little swimsuit that you could wear? We could go for a quick swim before everyone arrives."

I laughed at Carlos and said, "We need to go and get some food or the people arriving will think I'm a horrible host. It's already 12:45 and your family will arrive sometime around 3."

"Oh right, your grocery shopping slave is at your service. Are you ready now?"

I nodded, so Carlos grabbed his jeans and pulled them over his shorts. I also watched him put on his t-shirt, taking extra care to watch his slim and muscular frame from the corner of my eye.

We returned to my apartment an hour and a half later, fully laden with bags of food. The night before, I discussed food possibilities with Maria, and she suggested that we keep it simple. I would lay out a cold buffet that had easy finger foods and lots of things to make sandwich rolls.

I found a bunch of plates and trays in the kitchen, so Carlos and I set to work preparing the food. Carlos chopped some veggies while I made the dip. We then sliced a bunch of tomatoes, onions and cucumbers, laid out the sliced meats and cheeses. We covered the food and placed it in the fridge that was chilling drinks and the rest of the food that we'd put together later.

When the Manosos arrived, we all changed into our swimsuits and lounged on the deck sunbathing and swimming. Maria and I were sitting in the lounge chairs as Carlos and Ricardo were throwing the girls around the pool. Maria looked at me and said, "This is a really lovely apartment. I can see now why you were reluctant to live here, but chose to in the end. I will miss having you around though. I really liked how Carlos behaved when you were around. It was like you brought out the best in him."

I wasn't sure what to say about her comment about Carlos' behaviour, so I ignored it. Instead, I reiterated the suggestion I made to Ricardo about taking the girls one weekend so her and Ricardo could get away. Maria seemed to like the idea and said she'd talk to Ricardo and get back to me with a couple of date suggestions.

Tom, Bobby and Lester arrived at 4 and rushed around the apartment snooping everywhere. They were really excited when Carlos showed them out onto the deck. Lester came up to me and gave me a quick hug. He said, "Steph, thanks for letting Carlos bully you into inviting us. This place is totally awesome, you're so lucky."

Carlos smacked Lester on the back of the head for his comment and Lester said, "Ouch, what did you do that for?"

Carlos grinned and said, "So you really think that Steph is lucky for being harassed and chased out of her apartment in New Brunswick?"

"Of course I didn't mean it that way. I just meant that this place is pretty cool and being able to live here is a good thing."

I laughed at this interaction between Carlos and Lester and said, "It's OK Lester, I'm not offended. But you are right. This is a pretty cool apartment."

When Lester walked over to the edge of the pool to test the water temperature with his foot, I sidled up beside Carlos. "You know Carlos, you didn't need to smack Lester upside the head for calling me lucky."

"If I didn't do it then, he would have probably said something that was inappropriate in front of my sisters and mother. This way, hopeful he'll pass some of what he says past his brain before he speaks."

"Just don't make a habit of defending me or people might get the wrong idea."

"And what kind of idea would they get?" he asked with a crooked grin.

I didn't have a chance to answer him because I could hear my cell phone ringing from the kitchen. I hurried down the steps and answered it after the fourth ring.

"Stephanie, this is your mother."

"Hi Ma, what's up?"

"I called to invite you to dinner tomorrow night. We are having some friends over and they are bringing their son Richard. I'd like you to join us."

"I'm sorry mom, but I'm in Newark this weekend and won't be able to get back to Trenton. I can come next Sunday as long as I get away early."

"I will call the Orr's and see if we can reschedule. What are you doing in Newark during the weekend? I thought you only worked weekdays?"

"My apartment in New Brunswick is being renovated so the building owners offered me a temporary apartment in one of their buildings in Newark. I'm moving in this weekend."

"Oh, that will make your commute a little more tolerable during the week, but it also means you won't come home as often as I'd like."

"You're probably right mom. I can't guarantee that I'll be home every weekend, because I'm a little bit apprehensive about running into Ryan or any of the Prestons. I know you are upset about that whole situation, but it can't be helped."

"I was upset when I first heard about it, but when Roger Preston showed up on our doorstep and threatened us if you didn't drop the charges against Ryan, your father and I decided that your split with Ryan was probably a good idea."

"I'm sorry that you and Dad had to go through that mom. I promise I'll come by next weekend and fill you in on everything that's been happening since I saw you last. See you Sunday."

I got off the phone and returned to the deck. Carlos looked at me and asked if everything was OK. I nodded and told him I'd fill him in later. It was a discussion that could definitely wait.

Everyone must have had their fill of the pool because nobody was swimming anymore. I looked at my watch and decided that I could start bringing the food up. Maria and the girls offered to help, so the four of us went down to the kitchen.

I pulled out the trays of veggies, meat and cheese that Carlos and I put together earlier. Those were carefully carried upstairs along with several bowls and bags of chips and dips. I threw some salad in a bowl, filled a basket with rolls and carried them upstairs. While the girls were laying the food out on the table, Maria and I grabbed plates, cutlery and glasses. When everything was ready, we declared dinner served and invited everyone to eat their fill.

Evelyn and Isabella were encouraged to go first, and they were followed by Ricardo and Maria and me. Lester, Bobby, Tom and Carlos were last, but they joked and lingered over the food, eating as they went.

Around 8, Isabella and Evelyn started to yawn. Ricardo took one look at his youngest children, made some sort of silent communication with his wife and then declared that they should take their girls home and put them to bed.

Carlos and Ricardo had a short conversation and then Maria, Ricardo and the girls made their goodbyes. I thanked them for coming and for everything they had done for me. They promised to stay in touch over the summer, and to visit often.

After they left, Carlos looked a bit grumpy, so I went and sat on the chair beside him and said, "You look like you've just lost your best friend. Is something wrong?"

Carlos tried to enliven the expression on his face and said, "My father drove his car home and he left me the Taurus."

"I'm sorry Carlos. Maybe we can cheer you up by checking to see what sports are on my gigantic television?"

Carlos' face perked up at my suggestion so he got the guys to help him cover up the pool, turn off the Jacuzzi, and fold up all the chairs out of the way. While they did their cleanup work, I carried the plates, bowls and glasses down to the kitchen. There wasn't much mess, and all of the dishes and bowls went directly into the dishwasher. The only things I would have to wash by hand were the trays because they were too large for the dishwasher.

The guys came down and started wrestling over the remote control for the television. They also wrestled over sofa positions. It was kind of like watching children fighting over candy, and it made me laugh. All four of the guys were in a tangled mess when I burst out laughing. The stopped wrestling immediately and I noticed that Carlos and Lester blushed. That didn't mean that Tom and Bobby weren't blushing, but their skin tone was just too dark to show a sudden rush of blood to the face. I like to think that they were just as embarrassed, but better at hiding it.

Despite the smack Lester received earlier from Carlos, he once again made a comment about my luck. This time however, it was not because of the gigantic television, but more about the fact that there wasn't anything sport related on worth watching.

Lester somehow managed to get control of the remote and spent the next 20 minutes trying to find something to watch on the hundreds of channels available. The rest of us talked about the apartment, our jobs and anything else that came to mind.

Eventually, Lester grew bored with the television and put the remote control down. Carlos immediately picked it up and said, "If we're not going to watch it, we might as well deploy the mighty red button." He powered off the television and turned the stereo on very low so it didn't disturb our conversation.

At 9:30, Tom announced that he needed to get going. He had an appointment with one of his clients at 6:30 the next morning so he wanted to get home and to bed at a reasonable hour. Lester whined about abandoning the party before it even got started, but I teased him by saying, "If you leave Lester, the party is officially over. The rest of us might as well call it a night and head to bed."

Lester liked being compared to the life of the party, so he left with Tom and Bobby without too much more complaining. I waved goodbye to the guys and closed the door with a sigh.

Carlos looked at me and asked, "Let me guess, you're kind of relieved that the guys are gone?"

I nodded and said, "I like them a lot, but they are very exhausting to spend time with. We just sat and talked, but I feel like we ran a marathon."

"I know what you mean. Sometimes that is a great feeling, it comes in handy when we're out in a club, but in a more quiet setting, it has a more draining effect."

I sat back and rested my head against the back of the sofa so that I was facing Carlos. We stared at each other for a few minutes. Just as it was starting to get awkward, he asked, "Who called earlier, you looked a little upset?"

"Oh, it was my mother. She wanted me to go to Trenton tomorrow for some sort of blind date. I refused and said that I would come home next Sunday. She is now scrambling and trying to reschedule, even though she knows I'm not interested in one of her Burg set ups.

"She also wasn't all that happy that I didn't tell her that I was moving to Newark. She didn't come right out and say so, but I could tell by her tone that she didn't like not being included in a decision about my life."

Carlos was quiet for a moment and then asked, "Do you know who she's trying to set you up with?"

"She said a name, but I don't remember anyone with that name. I might call my friend Mary Lou and ask her if she knows this guy. She and I were best friends growing up and throughout high school. She decided to forego college and is going to marry her high school sweetheart in August.

"Actually, now you've got me curious. Do you mind if I make a quick phone call?"

Carlos shook his head so I walked over the kitchen island and picked up my phone. I dialled Mary Lou and she picked up straight away.

"Hey Mare, it's Steph. Yes, I know, I haven't called in a while. Yes, it is true about me and Ryan. No, I can't explain right now, but I promise I will call you back tomorrow and fill you in. I can't right now, I have company. I actually have a question for you. No. I'll tell you tomorrow. Because. No. I'll see what I can do. Can I ask my question now? I promise. OK, do you remember somebody named Richard Orr from High School? That sounds familiar. No. You've got to be joking. Oh great. You guessed it, it was my mother. He's from the Burg, he's got a Y chromosome and he's breathing. OK. Thanks for the info. I have got to go now Mare. Yes, I promise. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Say hi to Lenny. Bye Mare."

I walked back over to Carlos and said, "It turns out that the guy my mother wants to set me up with is none other than Richard Orr. The reason I didn't recognise the name is because he went by 'Dickie' all through school. He was a year ahead of me but I always thought he was a smug bastard.

"I think I might try and find an excuse not to go on this blind date after all. My mother will be pissed, but there's no way I'm ever going to date Dickie Orr."

"Why does your mother have such a hard-on for these Burg guys? It doesn't sound like she wants you to be happy, as much as put away in a Burg marriage to a Burg guy."

"That's because that's exactly what she wants for me. She doesn't take what I want into account. I have other aspirations in life. I want a career. I want independence. I do not want to be 100% reliant on another person for my wellbeing and livelihood."

In an attempt to change the subject and talk about something a little more upbeat, Carlos pointed at the remote and laughed. "When I was playing with the television earlier today when you were unpacking, I set up a few favourites so it was easy to find the sports channels. The funny thing is that when Lester was channel surfing earlier, he didn't actually find any of those sports channels. He thought that there wasn't anything on, when there was probably plenty."

I laughed at this and grabbed the remote. I looked at the menu and I saw that my favourite movie was starting in 5 minutes. I looked over at Carlos and said, "My favourite movie is about to start. You are welcome to stay and watch it if you'd like. If you need to get home, I also understand."

"I have nowhere to be tomorrow, so I can stay for a little longer. Fair warning though, if the movie sucks, I might duck out early."

"I can understand that. I'm going to grab a few things to make this more comfortable, I'll be right back."

I ran into my bedroom and grabbed the duvet from the bed. On my way back, I grabbed a bowl and an unopened back of chips and two bottles of water. I placed all of this on the coffee table and then made a mad dash to the rest room.

I returned just in time for the opening sequence, and waited until I knew nothing of import was happening to open the chips and pour them into the bowl. I pulled the coffee table closer to the sofa, tucked my feet up under me and laid the blanked over my bare legs. Carlos stretched out beside me and I offered part of the blanket to him. He also was wearing his shorts, so he was grateful that I shared my blanked. It wasn't that it was cold, but the sofa was leather and it wasn't very warm.

Over the next hour and a half, Carlos and I laughed, gasped and jumped at the movie. We also seemed to move closer and closer as the movie progressed, so when the credits started to roll, our sides were completely touching and Carlos had his arm around my shoulder.

I thought I'd be uncomfortable being this close to him, but it felt pretty natural. I leaned forward to get the remote so I could turn off the movie or find something else to watch. When I leaned back, Carlos lifted his arm until I was comfortable and then pulled me closer to him. He took the remote from my hand and said, "I get to choose the next movie."

I looked at the clock above the television to see that it was almost midnight. I looked up at Carlos, which was difficult because I was so close to him. I had to pull back from him to actually see him. I said, "I think the next movie might have to wait until another day Carlos. It's getting late."

He looked up at the clock and said, "You're right. I'll hold you to that rain check though."

Carlos stood and I walked him to the door. "You have my number in case you get scared in the middle of the night all by yourself in your new apartment."

I chuckled at this and hit him playfully in the chest. He held my hand to his chest with one hand and tucked a stray curl behind my ear with another hand. I was about to say something when the colour drained from Carlos' face.

"Oh my God. I just realised something."

I looked at him and asked, "What?"

"My dad took the keys to his car and never gave me my mom's keys. I have to call home."

Carlos dialled the phone and I listened to his side of the conversation with his father.

"Papa, it's Carlos. Yes, there's something nothing wrong. I know it's late. Yes. Why didn't you call and tell me? I know Steph has a spare room. You did this on purpose. Papa! Fine, but you have to explain this to her yourself. No. Yes you do. Good, just a second."

Here Steph, my dad wants to talk to you.

"Hello?"

"Stephanie, we're so sorry about this. We realised that we forgot to give Carlos the keys to Maria's car after we got home. We got caught up in getting the girls to bed and forgot to call. I hope it won't be too much of an imposition if Carlos stays in one of your spare rooms tonight. We'll drop off the keys tomorrow."

"That's fine Ricardo. Things were kind of hectic here, so I can understand the confusion. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."

I hung up the phone and handed it back to Carlos.

Carlos collapsed onto the sofa and I sat down beside him. He looked at me, grinned and then said, "I guess we can go to bed or we can see if there's another movie worth watching."

I thought for a moment and said, "Why don't you look through the menus and find a movie. I'm going to go and see to the spare room."

I left Carlos in the living room and went upstairs. I looked in both spare rooms and saw that both had bedspreads, but neither had any sheets. I looked through all of the closets upstairs and couldn't find any bedding at all. I came back downstairs and searched through all of the closets in the rest of the apartment, but I found nothing.

I went back into the living room and sat down beside Carlos. He saw the frustrated look on my face and asked, "What's wrong Steph?"

"Um, this is really awkward, but I can't find any sheets for the beds in the spare room. There are no extra pillows or blankets to be found anywhere in this apartment."

* * *

Uh oh. How'd that happen? More to come.


	16. Chapter 16 - Awkwardly Comfortable

Enjoy and remember that the recognised characters belong to JE.

* * *

**16. Awkwardly Comfortable**

Carlos and I made a second sweep of the apartment, looking for additional bedding. We gave up after looking in every conceivable place we could think of and flopped down beside each other on the sofa.

Carlos looked around and said, "I can sleep on the sofa."

"This is the only blanket in the entire apartment and I took it off of my bed. If you use it here, I'll probably freeze. If I take it with me, you'll freeze. Neither scenario really appeals to me. The funny thing is, I could have sworn there were blankets on the spare beds when we were here on Monday."

"Then that leaves us with only one option Babe. We'll just have to share your bed and hope that you don't jump me during the night."

I glared at him and after a moment, I realised that he was right. "We're both adults and we can share a bed. Besides, it's a super king sized bed that is wider than it is long, there will be plenty of room.

"I'm going to go get ready for bed. You can use the bathroom upstairs or you can wait until I am finished and use the ensuite."

When I walked out of the bathroom 10 minutes later, Carlos was sitting on the upholstered chest at the foot of the bed. He turned and looked at my shorts and t-shirt and said, "I don't really have any pyjamas, so I'll sleep in my shorts. I hope that's OK with you?"

I nodded, turned out the main light and moved to the bed. Carlos waited until I had climbed into the left side of the bed before he walked around to the right side. We pulled the duvet back onto the bed and then both crawled under the covers.

I don't know why, but laying there and staring at the ceiling, I had a very strong urge to laugh. I was fighting it and Carlos must have been able to tell something was up because he said, "If it bothers you that much, I can take a taxi home Babe, there's no need to cry."

When his words registered, I wasn't able to hold back my laughter any longer. Loud giggles erupted from me and I had to hold my stomach because it was hurting from working so hard to keep the laughter inside.

Carlos realised his mistake and said, "Oh, you're laughing at me, not crying because you're stuck with me. That's a little bit better I suppose."

"I'm not laughing at you Carlos!" I managed to choke out between laughs. "I'm laughing at how awkward this is."

"I know Babe, and I'm really sorry. Let's just try to get some sleep. We can analyse or pretend this didn't happen in the morning."

"OK. Good night Carlos."

"G'nite Babe."

I turned onto my left side so that my back was to Carlos and tried to fall asleep. A few minutes later, I had a thought.

"Carlos, you don't snore or talk in your sleep do you?"

"Not that I'm aware of. Do you?"

"I hope not, that would make this even more embarrassing."

I closed my eyes and tried to quiet my mind. After about 10 minutes, I heard Carlos' breathe even out and I fell asleep shortly afterward.

The next morning, I awoke, but was reluctant to open my eyes. I was extremely comfortable and warm, and didn't want to get up quite yet. I turned my head and heard a groan, so I opened my eyes. To say I was surprised at what I found was an understatement of grand proportions.

I was lying on my right side and my left leg was wrapped around Carlos' left leg. My left arm was draped across his chest, and his left arm was under my neck and wrapped around my shoulder so that my head resting on his chest and shoulder. His right arm was resting on my left hip.

If Carlos and I had a different type or relationship, this sleeping position would be understandable or even expected. Instead, it was a bit awkward, even if it was very comfortable. I didn't want to startle Carlos and I was really comfortable, so I decided to leave things alone until Carlos was completely awake. I couldn't see the clock, but it was still dark, so it was pretty early.

I started making a mental shopping list for all the things I would need if I was going to be able to have overnight guests in the future. I'd need two sets of Queen sized sheets, pillows and blankets. As I was mentally picturing the guest rooms after I bought a bunch of linens, a forgotten memory flooded my brain and I sat up with a start.

Carlos sat up beside me and gently placed his hands on my shoulders.

"What's wrong Steph?"

I looked at him and spoke so quietly that he had to lean closer to hear me. "We were set up."

"What are you talking about? What do you mean we were set up?"

I didn't answer him. Instead, I climbed out of the bed and walked through the living room and out to the hallway leading to the door out to the elevator. I opened the door and walked into the hallway, looking at the only other door in the hallway. I opened it and laughed as I pulled out a bundle of sheets, pillows and blankets.

Carlos' mouth dropped open when he was what I was carrying back into the apartment.

"How did they get in the closet out there?"

"As I said, we were set up."

"You are going to need to explain what you mean because I'm missing something and you're not making any sense."

I laughed, thinking back at the memory that triggered my realisation. I looked at Carlos and motioned for him to follow me back into the bedroom. It was early, I was cold and I wanted to crawl back under the covers before I started to explain what was going on.

Once back under the covers, I turned to face Carlos, who was lying on his side facing me. "I clearly remember that there were sheets and pillows on the spare room beds when we came here last Monday to check this place out.

"I didn't go into either spare room until after everyone left yesterday, so I didn't notice that anything was missing. I think your parents, or at least your mother set us up to spend the night together."

"Why do you say that? Maybe Jonny moved the sheets at the request of Linda."

"The reason why I think your mother is involved is because I remember her and your sisters carrying something bulky out of the apartment earlier. At the time, I didn't think anything of it, so I forgot about it. Thinking about it now, it was the blankets, pillows and sheets from the spare rooms. They stole them so we'd have to sleep together."

"How can you be sure?"

"The bundles they were carrying were the same colours as the sheets from each room, and your mother has made a few comments to me that lead me to believe that she'd support a relationship between us."

"What kinds of things?"

I sighed and thought back to a conversation from just the other day. "She told me earlier today that she really liked the way that you behaved when I was around. She also said that I brought out the best in you."

Carlos didn't say anything for a while, and the look on his face was quite pensive. Eventually, he looked at his watch and said, "I think you might be right, but it's too early to dwell on it now, let's try to get some more sleep."

I nodded, and before I could make myself comfortable, Carlos pulled me towards him. I narrowed my eyes at him, but let him place my head on his shoulder. I relaxed after a moment of awkward discomfort and closed my eyes, drifting back to sleep.

My stomach growled very loudly sometime later, waking both me and Carlos. I lifted my head to look at the bedside clock and saw that it was only 7:30. I groaned and lowered my head back to Carlos' chest, hoping that my stomach would behave and let me go back to sleep. No such luck, it growled again only a few minutes later.

"I think we had better feed you Babe, or we'll have a full-blown mutiny on our hands. You stay here and I'll be right back."

I watched as Carlos walked out of the room and smiled. I appreciated the view and it was the first time that I wasn't afraid to admit that to myself. I didn't want to dwell on my feelings for too long because I knew that once that door opened, it would be difficult to close. I know I'm not ready for another relationship and I'm definitely not ready for Carlos Manoso.

I listened to the sounds coming from the kitchen with curiosity, but I couldn't bring myself to get out of this comfortable bed to go and investigate. Instead, I cuddled down into the blankets and waited for the food fairy to appear.

I must have drifted in and out of sleep for the next 15 minutes because when I heard Carlos walk into the doorway, I was a bit groggy. I stretched out on the bed to help me wake up and heard Carlos moan like he'd hurt himself on something.

My eyes flew open and saw him watching me intently. "Is something wrong Carlos? Did you hurt yourself?"

"Walking in and seeing you stretch like that could kill a man."

Both of us blushed at his comment, but Carlos gracefully distracted me by placing a tray filled with wonderful smelling food on the bed. He crawled back into bed and told me what he'd made for breakfast.

"I used some of the left-over veggies, meat and cheese and made us an omelette. I also chopped up the rest of the watermelon and made a fruit salad. Enjoy."

"Thanks Carlos, this looks wonderful."

As I was eating, I noticed Carlos reposition himself on the bed a few times. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but when I looked over at him when I was done eating, I was surprised to find that Carlos had a pained look on his face.

"Is there something wrong Carlos?"

Instead of answering me, he fluffed up his pillows and rolled onto his side so that he was facing me. "Why do you think my mother set this little trap for us?"

I thought about his question. I remembered the words Maria said to me earlier, and I had a feeling that she would love to see Carlos and me dating. I know I like Carlos, and I know we'd probably be good together. My problem is that I don't want to get into a new relationship before my old one resolves itself somehow. I want whoever is harassing me to be caught and dealt with before I put myself back out there.

There is also the possibility that if Ryan or his father is behind the attacks, dating another man might cause an escalation of some sort. I could endanger Carlos if I gave in to my feelings before things were resolved. For both our sakes, I needed to hold Carlos at arm's length for his own good.

"Earth to Stephanie."

My head jerked up and I made eye contact with Carlos. He looked concerned, but I managed to shrug it off.

"Sorry, I started thinking about what has happened to me recently. One thought led to another, and before I knew it, I was far, far away."

"Care to share your journey with me?"

I shook my head and rubbed my hands over my arms to warm them up and to help keep the morning chill at bay. Carlos pulled the blankets back so I could crawl under, and then he pulled me towards him so my head rested on his shoulder.

"Do you think my mother will be disappointed that her little scheme didn't work?"

"That depends Carlos. We don't actually know the desired outcome. Part of me does think that she wants us to be together, but I can't be sure."

"I think she does want us to be together, but I'm not sure why exactly. I know she loves you, so maybe she sees this as a way to have you as a more permanent part of the family."

I didn't have anything to say, so I enjoyed being close to Carlos without the pressure of conversation. My mind wandered back to thinking about the break-in at my apartment. I thought about the damage that was done to my belongings and couldn't understand why Ryan would do such a thing. Perhaps it wasn't Ryan after all. That revelation didn't make me feel any better.

"Carlos, can I ask you a hypothetical question?"

"Sure Babe, go ahead." He placed his left hand on my shoulder and started rubbing is hand slowly up and down my arm as I spoke.

"If you were really angry with your girlfriend and you wanted to take your anger out on said girlfriend's property, what would you destroy?"

As he thought about his answer, I moved my right hand and placed it palm down on his chest. Up until that point, my arm had been wedged between us and it was getting a little uncomfortable, so I needed to stretch a little.

"I'm not a very vindictive person, but for the sake of the hypothetical, I imagine I'd try to destroy anything of sentimental value."

I considered his answer, rubbing my fingers on his chest unconsciously.

"That's what I thought. I've been thinking about the destruction in my apartment. I'm not really sure Ryan would destroy my clothes, it just doesn't make sense."

Carlos stilled my fingers by placing his hand over mine.

"Do you think you should talk to Detective Carter?

Carlos' phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. Carlos had an odd expression on his face and made no move to answer his phone.

"Are you going to get that?"

"I'm not really in a position to get up at the moment."

It never occurred to me that I was lying on top of him, keeping him stationary. I started to pull away from him so he could get up but he held me tighter.

"Not so fast Plum. It's probably my mother and I think that it's only fair that I ignore her calls until I'm ready to get up and answer the phone. I'm enjoying our chat and I don't want her to interrupt us just yet."

His phone stopped ringing as he spoke and mine started shortly after, causing Carlos to grin and hold on to me tighter, just in case I felt inclined to answer my phone.

"If we don't answer, won't your mother be concerned?"

"Maybe, but it's more likely that she'll think we're otherwise occupied."

I blushed when I realised what he meant, causing him to laugh. I slapped him on the chest and he grabbed my hand.

"Careful Babe, you're playing with fire."

I didn't know how to respond to that so I said nothing for a long time.

Carlos finally broke the silence when he told me about Tom and his plans. "Tom and I went back to the Army recruitment office the other day. When I told my parents, they weren't very pleased. Don't get me wrong, they'll support me no matter what I decide, but I know they worry about me joining the Army.

"It's something that I've thought a lot about over the past year. The more I think about it, the more I think it's the right path for me. Tom was always going to join. He would have joined two years ago if his mother hadn't gotten sick.

"My dad wants me to finish college, but I'm not sure it's necessary. The skills that I learn in the army will be just as beneficial if not more so."

"Do you think your dad wants you to take over his business?"

"I don't think so. He knows that my interests lie elsewhere and he's never said anything that would make me think he wants me work with him in the long term."

I thought about what it would mean to Ricardo and Maria if Carlos joined the army. He would be away from home for long periods of time. Depending on his circumstances, it could mean that he isn't around much for 8 whole years. With that thought, realisation came to me.

"Carlos, that's it. Your mother is hoping that if we're together, you might be more reluctant to join the army."

Carlos leaned his head back so he could see my eyes. The look on his face showed me that he was shocked by my realisation, but he believed it.

"I don't know what angers me more, the fact that my mother tried to manipulate me or the fact that a relationship with you might be the only thing that would keep me here."

"Carlos, you can't be serious. Even if we did have a relationship, that shouldn't stop you from joining the army if that's what you want. There are hundreds of thousands of men in the army with girlfriends, why would we be any different. Besides, I'll be busy with college for at least one more year. If I decide to do post graduate work, that will be another one to two year commitment.

"If you are in the army and I do my Masters degree or another degree altogether, you could be off active duty before I'm done with school. Of course it would be hard to be away from you. It will be hard even if we are just friends, but I would never ask you not to go."

Carlos sat up and pulled me up so that we were facing each other so that he could wrap his arms around me and hug me tightly. After a few minutes, I pulled away and rolled away from Carlos. I turned to face him and we talked about what life would be life for him if he joined the Army. He explained his desired path and that involved joining the Rangers. I knew all about the Rangers. My father had been a Ranger and I knew that it was a huge honour and an amazing accomplishment.

I encouraged Carlos to do what he thought was right. He stared at me as he was lying on his back. We stayed in our respective positions for a long time. Carlos explained why he had such a burning desire to join the Army and I explained why I didn't want to be Burg. He wanted to change the world by eliminating threats to the people he cared about. It was an honourable ambition and I was proud of him for it. We stayed like that, talking but not actually physically touching for a long time.

After a while, we ran out of things to talk about. I looked at the clock beside my bed and decided that it was probably time to get up. Instead of rushing into the shower, I decided to take advantage of the pool and took a quick dip. Carlos joined me and started to swim laps. I relaxed in the water and watched him swim back and forth. I took advantage of his near nakedness and admired the view as his muscles rippled in the water.

I was starting to feel a bit waterlogged so I climbed out of the pool and continued to watch Carlos from one of the loungers. He eventually got tired of laps after about the 50th trip back and forth and joined me. He shook out his hair, splashing me and causing me shriek from the sudden cold. Carlos was busy tickling me and we were laughing when we heard someone clear their throat.

We both jerked our heads around to find both Ricardo and Maria staring at us with funny grins on their faces. Carlos dropped down beside me and said, "How the hell did you get in here? Why didn't you call?"

Ricardo chuckled and said, "We tried to call. You didn't answer. Johnny also called a little while ago. He knew you were still home and when he checked the security cameras, he saw that you were in the pool so he let us in. I hope we're not interrupting anything."

Carlos shook his head and I pulled my towel over and jumped up. I offered the Manosos something to drink and hurried to the kitchen to get a pitcher of iced tea. Maria followed me and helped. I didn't want to say anything about the situation she forced on Carlos and I so I stuck to safer topics, such as where the girls were.

Maria smiled and said, "They're at a friend's for the afternoon. We wanted to stop by and give Carlos the keys for the car. We won't stay long."

"That's fine. Carlos said that he has to work this evening so we would have called you shortly anyway. We just kind of lost track of the time while we were in the pool."

Maria gave me an understanding nod and helped me carry glasses up to the deck. After a quick drink, Maria handed Carlos the keys and then they were gone. I walked them out and returned to the deck to clean up. Carlos was grinning when I walked in. He looked at me and said, "I think you were right about the set up. My father asked me what on earth we were doing that neither of us could answer the phone. He said it in a way that makes me think that he was in on the plan as well."

I laughed and thought about his parent's interference in his life. I came up with a great idea. I looked at Carlos, who was still laughing and said, "Will you come home with me next Saturday for dinner? If I take a date, my mother will be forced to cancel her attempt at fixing me up with the Dick. Since I played along for your parents, it only seems fair."

Carlos nodded and said, "It would be my pleasure Babe. I'd even be willing to engage in some PDA to really make our story stick."

I laughed and said, "I bet you would."

I carried the glasses and empty pitcher into the kitchen and turned to find Carlos behind me. He walked closer and said, "As much fun as this has been, I really need to go. I have to go home before going to work. I'll see you at the office in the morning."

I smiled and said, "Feel free to take a shower before sitting in the car smelling like a pool."

He smiled and headed to the bathroom. He came back out less than 10 minutes later all dressed and ready to go. He gave me a quick hug and walked towards the door. When his hand was on the handle, he looked back at me and said, "I'll call you later Babe. Don't forget to call your friend Mary Lou. She'll want all the gossip and I'm sure she'll be interested to know that you spent the night with a guy you've only known a little over a week."

I rolled my eyes and said, "Later Manoso. Have fun at work and say hi to Tom and your sisters for me."

Carlos waved and was gone. I turned and had a momentary feeling of loss. It was silly really. I barely knew the man but he was always around when I needed him. I shrugged it off and went to have a shower. Once I was clean and dressed in clean shorts and a t-shirt, I picked up my phone and headed up to the deck.

I did exactly what Carlos suggested and called Mary Lou. I filled her in on what had happened to me in the past week and she seemed amazed that I was so calm about it. "I can't believe that you had to get a restraining order against Ryan. I also can't believe that you were accused of running a brothel. "

"I know. The only men who ever came to my apartment were my dad and that no-good ex of mine. Luckily Detective Carter set the owners straight."

"Yeah Steph, that is good. Now tell me about this guy you keep mentioning. Carlos isn't it?"

"He's been a great friend. We're kind of in the same boat. His girlfriend was the one that Ryan cheated with. We were both jilted and have built a friendship on that. His family is great too. I am working at his father's company for the summer and really enjoying my job."

"I'm happy for you Steph. You're still going to come back for the wedding right?"

"Of course I'll be there for the wedding. How could I miss it? You've been my best friend since kindergarten."

"That's good because I need you to be one of my bridesmaids. I wanted you to be my maid of honour but my mother is insisting that Lenny's sister be the matron of honour."

"I'd love that Mare. Do you have dresses yet? Will I need to arrange a fitting?"

Mary Lou was quiet for a moment and then asked, "When will you be here next? Maybe I can coordinate a fitting on your next trip."

"My mother is insisting that I come for dinner next Saturday. I have to call and let her know that I'm brining Carlos. I am hoping that his presence will discourage my mother from inviting the Orrs."

"Oooh, do I get to meet the mysterious Carlos?"

"Sure, why not. I'll come by yours before we go to my parents'."

"Great, I can't wait. I'm sure your mother will be annoyed if you bring your own date, but if it means that you are out of the clutches of the Dick, all the better."

Mary Lou and I talked for a little while longer. We finally got off the phone when she was called to dinner. I made an easy meal from the leftover food from the day before and spent the rest of the daylight on the deck with one of the many books that I found in the library. Once the sun went down, I cleared up things on the deck and went inside to enjoy the massive television.

I flicked through the channels and settled on an old rerun of NCIS. That Mark Harmon was dreamy, even at his age. I just hoped that whomever I settled down with looked that good in his 30s, let alone his 60s. I curled up on the sofa and when the episode was over, I was ready for bed. I cleaned up and crawled into bed and read for a little while. When my eyes were getting heavy, I pushed my book aside and curled up under the covers. I was just about asleep when my ringing phone jerked me awake.

"'Lo?"

"Babe? Did I wake you?"

"Carlos? Why are you calling so late?"

Carlos laughed and said, "Babe, it's only 9:30, I never dreamt that you'd be asleep already. I'm really sorry."

I sighed and said, "It's OK. I wasn't asleep, not yet at least. What's up?"

"Not much. I just wanted to check in and see how your evening went."

"It was fine. I talked to Mary Lou, ate some food and watched some TV. How was your class?"

"It was OK. A majority of the participants were little old ladies hoping to find out how to defend themselves from purse snatches. Tom suggested that I join a few of his training sessions to increase the hotness levels for my class, but I'm happy with a smaller number. It's easier to give more individual instruction when there are fewer people."

I thought for a moment and then asked, "How much does your course cost?"

"Why Babe? Are you thinking of joining?"

"I don't know, but knowing how to defend myself sounds like a good idea to me."

"It's not a bad idea Babe. If you want, you can join the gym where I work and I can teach you some things in the evenings after work. I'll have to do it on the days that I don't work in the office though, or I won't be able to get home afterward."

"I don't want to cause problems Carlos. Maybe I'll just join the class on Sunday nights."

"You can if you want Babe, but what I teach there is pretty basic. I teach other classes on Tuesday and Thursday that are more advanced. The classes start at 6:30 and last 2 hours. Tom teaches the classes with me. Why don't you come to the one on Tuesday evening as my guest? You can see what the class is like and if it's more than you're interested in, you can try the Sunday class."

"OK. That works for me. I guess I'll see you in the morning."

"Sure thing, and Steph?"

"Yeah?"

"Sleep well tonight. I know you'll miss me, but get some rest all the same."

I laughed and said, "My fluffy pillow is a little less rigid. I'm sure I'll sleep fine. Night Carlos."

"'Nite Babe."

I hung up and made sure that my alarm was set for the morning. I curled back up into my covers and fell asleep moments. The last thing I thought about was how uncomfortable my pillow was feeling at that moment.

* * *

More to come. Thanks for reading and drop me a line if you get a chance. :)


	17. Chapter 17 - You Can Always go Home

I know you're all wondering what could possibly go wrong in Trenton. Here's a bonus chapter for you. Enjoy!

* * *

**17. You Can Always Go Home**

The next day, my mother called during my lunch break to reconfirm that I would come on Saturday. I informed her that she should not invite anyone as I was bringing a date. My mother complained and by the time I got off the phone, I was annoyed and in a foul mood. Carlos must have sensed my mood when he returned to his desk after lunch and said, "Is everything OK Babe?"

I looked up at Carlos and said, "Yes, I just spend the last 20 minutes listening to my mother complain about my request that she not try to set me up on Saturday. I explained that I was bringing a date and she then moved on to her embarrassment of having to call the Orrs and change plans again. It annoyed me and now I'm in a bad mood."

"Don't worry Babe, I'm sure your mother will come around. Eventually she'll realise that you are not going to bend to her will. You have your own life that you live in your own way. She'll just have to accept that."

I smiled at Carlos and returned to the papers I was reviewing. One of our customers was facing fraud charges and I was trying to find evidence that the missing money was somehow a mistake. After another 3 hour of searching, I threw down the papers and walked into the break room to get a coffee. I ran into Ricardo and explained my progress. He was concerned that his friend was facing criminal charges, so I promised to keep at it. At 5:30, the room was completely empty. I read a line on the spreadsheet and then jumped up. I re-read the line and let out a whoop.

Carlos looked up from his computer and said, "I take it you found the problem Babe?"

I nodded and looked at the time. "What are you still doing here Carlos? I would have thought you and your father would have left by now."

"We normally do, but Papa called a little while ago and said that he was stuck in a meeting. He said he'd stop by on his way down."

Ricardo walked in the room a few moments later with a scowl his face. He took one look at the expression on my face and asked, "Did you find something?"

I nodded and he rushed around to my desk. I highlighted a line on a spreadsheet and Ricardo's scowl turned into a grin. He hugged me and said, "I can't believe that they missed this. Thank you Stephanie, you have no idea how much this will mean for the client and our company. We can prove that the mistake was on the IRS's side. This should make our client very happy. Please won't you join us for dinner tonight? I called Maria earlier and suggested that we go out to dinner because I was going to be late. Now we can make it a celebration."

I was a bit red and said, "All I did was find a typo in an IRS report. It wasn't all that special."

"Of course it was dear. You were the third person to review those files and nobody else found the mistake. Your discovery means that the IRS has no case against our client and they will have to compensate him thousands of dollars for the legal fees he incurred during their mistaken investigation. This saves my firm as well. If news of the investigation had gotten out, I would lose clients. Your efforts probably saved this company. The least I can do is take you out for dinner with the rest of my family. "

I smiled at Ricardo and said, "OK, when you put it like that, I'd be honoured to join your family."

I sat in the backseat and relaxed on the way to the restaurant. Maria and the girls were very happy to see me and we had an extremely lovely evening. Ricardo was very happy and he even called his client while I was there to give him the good news. Carlos drove me home that evening and while we drove, we talked about our weekend plans. Carlos would arrive at 9:00 Saturday morning and we'd drive straight to Mary Lou's. We'd then go to the dress shop and I'd try on the dress and get fitted for alterations if necessary.

That is exactly what happened, except I forgot that Carlos would be with me. His presence caused quite the scene. Mary Lou and the rest of the girls were pretty good when I introduced him. Mary Lou pulled me aside and bit her knuckles in an attempt not to say something too rude. I grinned and said, "He's not bad to look at, is he?"

Mary Lou looked back at Carlos and gave me thumbs up. I laughed and returned to rescue Carlos from the drooling women who had surrounded him. If I thought the bridesmaids were bad, you should have seen the women in the dress shop. Carlos got so flustered that he ended up going next door to the record shop while we did the dress thing. I found him flipping through CDs, holding the latest Pixie Dust Grinders album. I was so sad when that band broke up earlier this year. At least I got to see them one last time beforehand.

I pointed to the CD and said, "I like that band. I saw their last performance in February."

Carlos smiled and nodded. "Me too Babe. It was a great night."

Carlos paid for the CD and then we headed for lunch. He asked where we should go and without a second thought, I directed him to Pino's. It was my favourite place to eat and I had a major craving for one of their meatball subs.

We sat in a booth near the middle of the restaurant. During our meal, a few friends from high school came past and I exchanged greetings. When my friend Eddie came by, we exchanged hugs and he confided in me that he was proposing to my cousin that night. They were still young but he knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He explained that they would have a long engagement. I wished him luck and he was on his way.

Carlos was looking at me with a funny expression on his face. "You know Babe, it seems like you were quite popular. Everyone you have met has seemed really happy to see you."

I laughed and said, "With the exception of Eddie, it was all an act. Eddie and I have been friends since we were babies. The others were just being friendly. We aren't really that close."

I was just about to explain Eddie's relationship with my cousin when a familiar voice said, "Cupcake!"

I groaned and turned to face Joe Morelli. He was wearing a shit-eating grin that made me want to punch him in the face. "Joe, what do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?"

Joe laughed and said, "I just wanted to say 'Hi' and make sure that everything was OK with the whole ex-boyfriend fiasco."

"Gee Joe, how tactless of you to bring that up."

I looked over at Carlos who was eying Joe carefully. I looked at Joe and he was doing the same with Carlos. I sighed and said, "Carlos, this is Officer Joe Morelli. Joe, this is Carlos Manoso."

The two men shook hands, but they didn't stop their eye contact. Joe was glaring at Carlos and Carlos had a wary expression as well. I rolled my eyes and said, "Joe, if you'd excuse us, we need to be getting on our way. I have sights to show Carlos and then we're going to my parents' for dinner."

Joe smiled and said, "OK, see you around Cupcake."

I glared at Joe and said, "Please stop calling me that."

He shrugged, smiled and walked away. It was hard not to watch him leave. I know what you're thinking, it was because I was staring at his ass, but that's now why. It was because he was wearing a uniform and people looked like they respected him. In high school, he was always a bit of a rebel. People always held that against him and he never really tried to fight against their perceptions of him.

I returned my focus to Carlos. He was studying me carefully and then finally asked the one thing I was hoping he would never ask. "There was something between you and officer what's-his-name, wasn't there Babe?"

I groaned and said, "Joe and I have known each other since I started school. We sort of had a thing in high school, but when he left for the Navy, it ended."

Carlos raised his left eyebrow and said, "That guy was in the navy?"

I nodded and said, "He just finished his 2 years. I'm not sure why he left, but I think he has always wanted to be a cop."

Carlos accepted this and after paying, we left and I showed him a few of the sights of Trenton. It's not the most interesting town so the sights didn't take very long. I didn't want to go home too early because I wanted to give my mother as little time as possible to berate me. We ended up walking in the park around the duck pond to kill some time.

Carlos looked around and said, "For a state capital, this is a really quiet city."

I nodded in agreement and said, "It's pretty boring really. Growing up here was dull as hell. I find New Brunswick to be teeming with activity in comparison."

Carlos laughed and continued walking around the park. At 5:15, I suggested that we head back to the car. We arrived at my parents' house 30 minutes later. When we arrived, we had 15 minutes to spare. As soon as I walked in, I could hear my mother talking to someone and it didn't sound like my father. "Oh that must be Stephanie."

I walked into the living room to find my mother and father, a couple I didn't recognise, and the Dick. I looked at my mother and back at Carlos. My mother walked over and said, "Stephanie, welcome home. I'm so glad that you could make it. I wish you would have told me that the friend you were brining was a boy."

She then leaned in quietly and said, "I'm sorry but I couldn't cancel on the Orrs twice in a row. We'll just have to make the best of things and soldier on."

I looked at my mother and then over at my father. At least my father had the decency to look embarrassed. In fact, he looked a little annoyed at the whole situation. I looked at Carlos and he looked a little shocked so I leaned over and said, "I'm really sorry. It seems that my mother has decided to try and set me up regardless of the fact that you're here. We'll hurry through dinner and get out as soon as we can."

We all sat down at the table. I sat in between Carlos and Dickie. Carlos was at the corner nearest my dad and Dickie was sitting near my mother. This made it easy for her to steer the conversation and steer it she did.

"So Richard, your mother tells me that you are going to Law School in the fall. Isn't that impressive Steph? It's a really honourable profession."

Dickie spent the next 5 minute or so wafting on about how he hoped to join his father's firm and make partner by the time he was 30. He wanted to do criminal trial law and was looking forward to law school. He also confessed that he really wanted to settle down with a nice Burg girl.

Mrs Orr kept asking me about my school and would I quit if the right man came along. I actually spit the milk out that I had been drinking when this question was asked. I looked around at the people at the table with me and then looked directly at my mother before answering.

"I intend on finishing my education and starting a career that I can be proud of before settling down. The right man will understand this and support me for it."

My mother was glaring at me but I was ignoring her. Mr Orr seems OK with this statement but Dickie and Mrs Orr, not so much. Dickie cleared his throat and said, "I think I could marry a woman with a career, as long as it was understood that my career would come first and once kids came into the picture, she'd have to give up her job."

I saw the women nod their heads and figured I'd keep my mouth shut because I couldn't do anything to salvage this debacle of a situation. I just kept my head down and finished my food. When I cleared my plate, I looked over and saw that Carlos and my father were having a quiet discussion. I couldn't tell exactly what they were talking about because my mother and Mrs Orr were talking quite loudly, but I did hear something about the army. I assumed Carlos was asking my dad questions about his time in the army.

When dessert and coffee were brought out, Mrs Orr pulled me aside and asked, "Do you think that you'd be interested on dating my dear Richard?"

I looked at Mrs Orr. She looked kind of dim-witted so I was gentle. "I'm really sorry Mrs Orr, but that young man over there is my boyfriend. I'm not interested in dating anyone else."

I was pointing at Carlos while I spoke. Mrs Orr looked offended and walked away. She started talking to my mother and a few minutes later, my mother came in to explain that we needed to go say goodbye to the Orrs they were leaving. My mother insisted that I let Dickie kiss me on the cheek, so I placated my mother. Luckily Carlos stood close by when Dickie approached me because I could tell that he was up to something.

When Dickie got near, he leaned in to give me a kiss and then whispered, "That brown boy that you've brought home is not good enough for you Steph. Ditch him and give a real man a chance."

I didn't even think about it, I just reacted. The next thing I knew, I had slapped Dickie across the face and his mother was rushing over to see if her baby was injusred. She glared at me and demanded to know what had caused me to assault her son in such a manner. I looked at her defiantly and said, "He insulted my boyfriend because of the colour of his skin. Richard then went on and implied that he was a better man. I was taught to treat people with respect, but that respect has to be earned. Richard's behaviour was unacceptable and I am not sorry. You can lose my phone number. I am not interested in being friends with anyone who will judge a person they don't even know based on how they look."

Mrs Orr glared at me and dragged her son out the door without saying a word to anyone. Mr Orr smiled shyly and followed them out the door. It looked like he was actually embarrassed by his son's remarks and his wife's behaviour, but he wasn't going to do anything about it. As soon as they were out of the house, I slammed the door and walked into the living room.

Carlos was beside me and he had his arm around my shoulder. He leaned over and said, "You defended my honour Babe, I'm grateful."

Before I was able to reply however, my mother walked in from the kitchen. I can only assume that she went for a little liquid fortification, because as soon as she crossed the threshold, she started her rant.

"Stephanie, Carlos, I apologise. I was more worried about how it would look if I cancelled on the Orrs for a second time. I should have been more worried about why Cathy Orr was so pushy about getting you and Richard into the same room. Now I understand it is because he's a horrible little shit who can't get a date on his own."

I looked at my mother with an open mouth and tried to say something. I closed my mouth and then swallowed, but it was my dad who broke the silence. "I am glad you slapped that boy Steph. He's an idiot and you deserve better."

I smiled at my dad and laughed when the realisation of what had just happened hit me. My mother wasn't angry that I did something that would result in rumours and gossip. In fact, she apologised and expressed regret. Was this really my mother?

My mom was watching me closely. My dad had invited Carlos out to the garage, leaving me alone with my mother. She sat down beside me and was silent for a few minutes. After a little while, she said, "Steph honey, I am sorry that I pushed Ryan and Richard on you. It's clear to me that you need more from a man than a boy raised in the traditional Burg. I just worry about you."

I looked at my mother and said, "You don't need to worry about me Mom. I'm old enough to know what I want. I know what is right for me and what isn't. Neither Ryan nor Dickie is right for me. All they want is a little housewife to act as their slave. I have more ambition than that. I want to do things with my life. I want a career and I want to see the world. I will settle down with the right man when the time is right. Until then, you're just going to have to trust me."

My mother smiled and asked, "Is that young man out there with your father the right man?"

I shrugged and said, "I like Carlos, but we're not actually dating. I brought him for protection from Dickie. It seems to have worked and he's probably out in the garage getting some really useful advice from Dad."

My mom looked at me and I could tell that she didn't understand. "Carlos is thinking about joining the Army. He wants to be a Ranger and since that was Dad, he's probably asking all sorts of questions."

My mother grimaced and said, "Being separated from your father when we first got married was the hardest thing in my life. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy."

I knew what my mother was getting at so I said, "Mom, I'm not even 18 years old. I'm not ready to get married. Even if I was in love with Carlos and he joined the army tomorrow, we're still too young to get married."

"But Mary Lou is getting married. She's not much older than you."

I sighed and said, "Yes Mom, but Mary Lou wants to be a wife and mother. Her life's ambition is to have Lenny's babies and take care of him. I don't feel that way about anyone. I doubt I ever will. I want to live my life. I don't want to depend on another person for everything. I respect Mary Lou's decision. I respect that you and Val are happy with your lives. It's just not for me."

My mother sighed this time and said, "I suppose not. Just don't hate me if I keep trying though."

I rolled my eyes and said, "I am capable of finding my own dates Mom."

"I know Dear, I just want to see you happy."

We sat in silence for a few more minutes before my dad and Carlos joined us. They were smiling when they came in so I assumed that they had a nice chat. I looked at the time and said, "We should probably get back. Thanks for dinner."

I hugged my dad, waved at my mom and then we left. I looked over at Carlos and said, "I'm sorry you had to sit through that dinner with the Orrs. Who knew that Dickie lived up to his name so well?"

Carlos laughed and said, "You did a pretty good job defending me. I hope your mother wasn't too hard on you when we were out in the garage."

I shook my head and said, "She actually apologised for inviting the Orrs. She then went on to say that she respected my independence but she would always be on the lookout for a nice Burg man to fill that void in my life. She knows that you are not my boyfriend so I'm afraid she'll keep this up."

Carlos shrugged his shoulders and said, "I suppose you can just refuse to come home. It's not like they can make you."

I nodded and then asked, "What did you and my dad talk about all evening? He seemed to be quite chatty. He never talks so it must have been interesting."

Carlos smiled and said, "I liked your dad. He seemed nice and he was very forthcoming when I asked him some questions about what it was like to be in the Army. He didn't candy coat things like the army recruiters. He said that it was a hard job, but one that was honourable and fulfilling at the same time. It was really helpful."

I nodded and turned back to focus on the road. We were stopping in New Brunswick to visit the gang and spending the night. I was staying with Molly and Carlos was crashing at Lester's. We weren't expected until 8:30 but it was closer to 7:30 when we arrived. Since Molly was still working, Carlos and I went to Lester's. When we pulled into the drive, Lester poked his head out the door and grinned and waved.

We had an enjoyable weekend. I got caught up with Molly and Christie and Carlos and the guys went out on the town. I met back up with Carlos on Sunday afternoon. He had to work that evening and I wanted to get an early night. He dropped me off around 6:30PM and I kissed him on the cheek before climbing out of the car.

* * *

Wow, Steph's mom seemed to chill out as the evening progressed. It's a holiday weekend here in the UK so I may miss a day or two. It all depends on the weather. More to come, but maybe not as quick as you're used to updates.


	18. Chapter 18 - Seeing the Light

I'm sorry you've had to wait, but I'm hoping this chapter will be worth that wait. Enjoy!

Based on characters created by JE!

* * *

**18. Seeing the Light**

The next few weeks seemed to fly by. I got into a routine with work and I managed to visit with Molly and Christie a few times. Once they came and stayed with me for a weekend and we had a really good ladies night in. We originally planned on going out, but we lost track of time and were having so much fun, we just stayed in.

The other two times we got together were in New Brunswick. Carlos went to visit the guys, so I tagged along. Jimmy's family was having their big annual summer BBQ, and we were all invited. It was a really fun evening and it was great to see both Molly and Christie so happy.

Every time we were alone, whether it was me and Christie, or me and Molly, or all three of us, they'd ask me about Carlos. Each time I answered the same way.

"Carlos and I are friends. Good friends mind you, but I'm not ready for anything other than that."

Both Molly and Christie accepted this answer, but they always looked at me as if they didn't believe me. They also kept a very close eye on me and Carlos when we around each other. It was if they expected us to look across the room at each other and jump each other. I laughed at this and pushed it from my mind so I could enjoy the little time left with my friends. Soon enough, Carlos would be driving me back to Newark and who knew when I'd be back.

I was now in Newark, sitting at my desk on a Wednesday morning. Carlos was working at the gym today, and I have come to realise that I missed looking up and seeing him across from me. I tried not to dwell on that because I had work to do, but I found myself distracted for some reason.

I looked at the clock and realised that it was nearing lunch time. I was thinking about what to do for lunch when my phone rang. I looked down to see that it was Detective Carter. I hadn't heard from him for a few weeks, so I answered.

"Miss Plum, I was wondering if I could stop by your office. I have some information that I need to share with you, but I think it would be best to do that in person. I am in Newark and can be at your office in 10 minutes. Would that be OK with you?"

I agreed to meet him in the lobby and then called Amanda to explain my visitor. She told me that the conference room off the lobby was not booked so I could use that room. She also asked if I wanted somebody to come and sit with me. I declined her offer thinking that I could easily deal with whatever the detective had to say. I promised to let her know if I needed anything and walked down to the lobby to meet the detective.

A few minutes later, Carter walked in the front doors of the building. He signed in with reception and then I showed him into the conference room. We took seats on opposite sides of the table. When we were both comfortable, Detective Carter looked up at me and started talking.

"Miss Plum, I wanted to let you know that we have found the person who broke into your apartment. This same person is also responsible for the Molotov cocktail and the false police reports that were faxed to the Millers.

"It turns out that Ryan was seeing another girl name Megan Platkowski. She has been working part-time at Mr Preston's law firm in Trenton. Apparently she has been monitoring the police network and seeking out clients for the firm. She must have seen the charges you filed and she had what seems to be a psychotic break of some sort.

"Whenever she and Ryan spent time together, that spent their time experimenting with various different drugs. That is how we discovered who she was. She broke into your apartment when your double went out for the day. We watched her plant some drugs before she called the police. She told them that you had just mugged her and were in withdrawal. She said that you would head home to where you had hidden your stash.

"We had men follow her and that led us back to Trenton. She went into her apartment building an hour later, Ryan Preston turned up. We waited to see if they would come out, but they never did. We decided to go up and arrest the girl."

Detective Carter paused at this time and looked at me as if he was trying to figure out the best way to tell me what came next. He took a few deep breaths and found his voice again.

He finished telling me the story, and I listed patiently, the shock of his words was evident on my face. We sat silent for a few minutes so I could absorb everything he told me. I thanked him for his candour and his efforts on my behalf. I was truly grateful for everything he had done for me.

"I have spoken to the Millers and now that we're out, they are going to do some work on your apartment before September. You can stay in Newark until that new school year starts."

He stood, shook my hand and told me to call him if I had any questions. My mind was reeling with the news, but I wasn't able to process it adequately. I needed to talk to Carlos but he wasn't here today. I walked back to my desk and picked up my phone. I could call Carlos and see if he could meet me somewhere after work. I could make it through a day without him.

"Carlos, are you free after work?"

"I can be Babe, what's wrong? You sound upset."

"Detective Carter just stopped by to tell me that they found the person responsible for breaking into my apartment."

My voice cracked at that moment and tears started to fill my eyes.

"Babe, I'm going to swap a few things around this afternoon with Tom. I'll be at the diner in 15 minutes. Meet me there."

I protested at first but Carlos insisted. I thanked him and hung up. I looked at the clock and figured that I might as well leave now for the diner and save us a table. I walked into the diner a few minutes later and sat in a booth near the back. I sat facing the door so I could see when Carlos walked in, but I could also see the waitresses gathered behind the counter.

For some reason, they didn't seem to like me much, and based on the facial expression of the girl walking towards me, she was going to make her feelings known.

"I'm sorry miss, but you can't take up an entire table if you are alone. We get very busy during the lunch rush, so I'm going to have to ask you to move over to the counter with all of the other losers."

I looked at her in shock.

"I'm not alone, I'm meeting somebody. I'd like a Coke while I wait."

The girl turned her nose up at me and said, "If your lunch partner doesn't arrive within the next 5 minutes, I'll have to insist that you move."

She walked away, leaving me wondering if she would actually bring my drink, and if she did, should I worry about what might have been added to it. Luckily, I didn't ever find out. Carlos walked into the diner a few minutes later, and as soon as I saw him, I stood and waited for him to walk to the table. He took one look at me and wrapped his arms around me, holding me tightly to his chest.

I was trying to keep it together, and Carlos could sense that I was struggling. He rubbed his hand on my shoulder and said, "Why don't we go back to your place Babe. It looks like you might prefer some privacy when we talk."

I nodded and smiled at him, relief washing over me at the calmness I felt in his presence. He placed his arm around my shoulder, and as we passed the counter, the waitress said, "Hey, what about your Coke?"

I didn't get a chance to say anything because Carlos reached into his pocket and threw a dollar at her. "We have decided to spend our lunch hour in a more private setting. And for the record, if I ever come back in this diner, I expect you and the rest of the waiting staff to treat me and Stephanie with respect. I don't know what she ever did to you, but she doesn't deserve your attitude."

The waitress and the other girls behind the counter were staring at Carlos as if he had two heads. I was so grateful for his words that I placed my right hand on his chest, reached up on my tip toes and kissed him full on the lips. I don't know what possessed me to do it, but as soon as my lips touched his, the world fell away. Carlos brought me back to reality when he squeezed the hand on his chest and pulled me out the door.

Neither of us spoke as we walked the short distance to my apartment. Once inside and seated on the sofa, Carlos turned to face me, waiting for me to explain what the detective told me.

"I was right about Ryan. He wasn't the one who broke into my apartment. The police don't know if he put her up to it, or if she did it herself. His other girlfriend was the one who destroyed my clothes, left the Molotov cocktail and faxed those phony police reports to the Miller's. She works in his father's office, so she had access to all sorts of things.

"She got Ryan involved with drugs, and that's how they found her. She broke into my apartment again last night in an attempt to frame me for drug possession. The police followed her back to her apartment and stayed to watch if anyone else approached her. Ryan showed up not long afterward. When the police were granted a search warrant two hours later, they went into the apartment and found both Ryan and the girl on the floor. The bowl that Ryan broke in to get from my apartment was sitting beside them, its secret compartment was open and a little baggie of drugs was falling out.

"The paramedics were called, but it was too late for the girl. She died of an overdose and her body was cold. Ryan was still alive, but barely. He's now in the hospital but he is in a coma. The doctor's are not sure he's going to make it."

Carlos moved closer to me and hugged me. His closeness made me relax and let out some of the emotions that I was feeling. I was relieved that I was no longer in danger from a crazy person. I was ashamed that I could date a man for so long and not even know him. I was sad that Ryan was in danger of losing his life and I felt guilty that I was relieved in the first place. Lastly, I was elated to be in Carlos' arms.

I looked up at Carlos with tears in my eyes and then excused myself so I could go to the bathroom and clean up. I looked at myself in the mirror and saw that my mascara had run, so I started to try and salvage it. After a minute, I realised that it would be easier to just wash it off completely.

I was drying my face when I heard Carlos talking in the other room. I didn't hear the doorbell, so I assumed that he was talking on the phone. I finished up in the bathroom and walked back into the living room. Carlos was nowhere in sight. I looked around and heard noises coming from the kitchen. I followed the noise and found Carlos digging through my refrigerator, pulling out all sorts of things in an attempt to find something for lunch.

When I walked in, he looked up and smiled at me. "I just talked to my dad and filled him in on a few of the details you just shared with me. He wants you to take the rest of the day off."

I was about to protest when Carlos stopped me. "I also spoke to Tom. He has agreed to take my afternoon class today and I will take one of his less pleasant clients tomorrow morning. I can stay with you as long as you like. Now, let's find something for lunch."

Carlos and I rummaged through the contents of my fridge and cupboards, eventually settling on tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. We talked about work, friends and school while we ate, carefully avoiding the subject of the wreck my love life and my ex-boyfriend.

We stood side by side cleaning up our dishes after lunch. We could have put the plates and bowls in the dishwasher, but I found that it took too long for me to fill the dishwasher, so I preferred to wash the dishes by hand. With Carlos' help, we were done in no time, and after we both dried our hands, we went into the living room.

Since I didn't have to go back to the office today, I excused myself for a few moments so I could change. I contemplated a pair of shorts and a shirt because it was quite warm outside. On an impulse, I put on a bikini under my shorts because some time up on the deck would be welcome on a day like today.

I walked back out to the living room and smiled at Carlos, truly appreciating his physical form for the first time. He was wearing a sleeveless white t-shirt that showed off his perfectly sculpted arms. He was also wearing a pair of medium-length gym shorts that showed off his muscular thighs. I must not have been very discreet with my scans of his body because he laughed and asked, "See something you like Babe?"

I blushed at his comment, but couldn't disagree with him. Something had changed with me, and I don't know when it happened, or why it happened. I was looking at Carlos differently. Before now, Carlos was a friend, but I never really felt any pressing chemistry between us. When I kissed him earlier, something happened. The electricity that seemed to flow through our lips seared something on my brain. Now, every time I looked at Carlos, I no longer saw my friend. Instead, I saw an extremely sexy man that I wanted to jump and ride like a fine pedigree stallion.

"Is that a bathing suit I see under your t-shirt?"

Carlos' words brought me out of my day dreams, and I looked at him and nodded.

"Let's grab some sun block and head up to the pool Babe."

I nodded and took Carlos' offered hand. He led me to the bathroom so I could get some sun block, then he guided me up the stairs to the deck. Once outside, we set out two sun loungers beside the pool and worked together to roll back the solar cover from the pool.

Carlos was happily chatting away about his day and telling me about some of Tom's more amusing clients. I was listening to a particular story about a woman who kept pinching Tom's ass, when Carlos suddenly stopped speaking.

I turned to look at him to find out what had caused his silence, but got tangled in the t-shirt I was trying to pull over my head. I lost my balance and fell back on the nearest sun lounger. I finished struggling with my t-shirt, throwing it angrily to the side.

"Are you OK Babe? You didn't hurt anything when you fell did you?" Carlos was kneeling right beside me as he spoke, his hand on my knee. He must have moved pretty fast because he was standing over by the pool filter moments before.

"I'm fine Carlos, just a bit of a klutz," I laughed. Carlos shook his head at my blushing and held up the bottle of sun block.

"Lie down Babe, I need to put some sun block on your back."

I lay down on the sun lounger and closed my eyes in anticipation of feeling Carlos' hands on my body. I was also dreading the coldness of the sun block. I was pleasantly surprised when Carlos squirted the sun block on his hands to warm it up before applying it to my lower back.

When he got to the fastening of the bikini top, he hesitated for a moment. I was going to ask him if he could just unfasten it temporarily, but he took the initiative and did it himself. When he was done with my back, he took what was left on his hands and covered the backs of my thighs and calves, leaving my bikini top unfastened.

"I have sun block all over my hands. Can you do your bikini back up? I don't want to stain it."

I lifted my torso off the bench and slipped the straps back over my shoulders. I then reached behind me and refastened the top. I sat up, thanked Carlos and took the sun block from his hand.

"Your turn, roll over."

Carlos did as he was told. I spent the next few minutes rubbing sun block across his broad shoulders, down his back, and finishing at the waistband of his shorts.

"All done."

Carlos rolled over so he was on his back on the lounger and I was sitting beside him. He bent his left arm behind his head and placed his right arm at his side, near where I was sitting. He looked at me intently. It was like he was searching for something in my expression.

My eyes kept wandering over his torso and every time I looked back up at his eyes, I blushed.

"Babe, you'll be playing with fire if you keep looking at me like that."

I shook my head and grabbed the sun block, smearing it on my neck, chest, arms and the fronts of my legs. Carlos watched me intently as I was sitting

"There, now I can't get burned."

Carlos laughed and rubbed some sun block on his torso. I watched as he worked the cream into the ridges of his abs and unconsciously licked my lips when his hand neared the top of his shorts.

Carlos placed the sun block on the deck and leaned back down onto his lounger. I was still sitting beside him, enjoying the proximity, but I knew I needed to move before my Hungarian hormones got the better of me.

Carlos chuckled as he reached out and pulled my lounger so it was right beside his. "I don't think I'd object to your Hungarian hormone's Babe, but I think we should talk first."

I shuffled onto my own lounger and lay on my stomach, looking at Carlos. "Oh man, I must have said that out loud. I really need to work on that. What do you want to talk about?"

"The kiss from earlier. When your lips touched mine, there was something different this time. We've kissed before, but I'd never felt a real connection until today."

"Carlos, from the time we first met, I've had nothing but platonic feelings for you. I'm a woman and I'm not blind, so I know how attractive you are, but I never really explored my feelings beyond that. We were friends, and I was happy with that.

"When I called you today, and you did everything you could to be with me and comfort me, it was like a switch went off in my brain. Something changed, and on an impulse, I kissed you. When my lips touched yours, my problems and the rest of the world seemed to disappear, if only for a moment. When the world came rushing back, I was different. You have made me different."

Carlos turned to face me and rested on his right elbow. He reached out and touched my face with his left hand, caressing my jaw line with the tips of his fingers. His touch was tender and loving, and I found myself closing my eyes and leaning into his hand.

"Open your eyes Babe, I want to see you."

I opened my eyes to comply with Carlos' request and looked into his eyes for a long time. We each adjusted our positions on our loungers to get more comfortable, but we never lost eye contact.

Eventually, the sun had moved so it was directly shining on us and we were both getting hot. I lifted my head and looked longingly over at the pool. Carlos noticed my glance and sat up. He studied me for a moment, nodded toward the pool and held out his hand.

I took hold of his hand and let Carlos help me to my feet. Once I was standing, Carlos startled me by picking me up and carrying me to the edge of the pool.

"You aren't going to do what I think you're going to do Carlos?"

Carlos laughed but didn't reply, so I tried another tactic to encourage him to move away from the pool. I shifted my position in his arms so I could reach his neck with my mouth. When my lips touched his skin I felt like I was hit with an electric shock. Carlos must have felt it too because he gasped and set me down on my feet.

He looked into my eyes, leaned in and was about to kiss me when I twisted myself and pushed him into the pool. He came up for air moments later, looking up at me with an evil grin. "You've played with fire long enough Babe, you're about to get burned."

Carlos climbed out of the pool and stalked towards me. I slowly backed away, a little apprehensive of what he might do, but I couldn't help but smile. I wasn't able to go any further when the back of my calves ran into the sun loungers, and Carlos was gaining on me.

I assumed that Carlos was going to throw me in the pool when he reached me, so I braced myself for being picked up. When he did get close to me, instead of picking me up, he stood very close to me and spoke quietly in my ear.

"I think after your little stunt with the pool that your Hungarian hormones need a bit of a challenge." I looked up at him with raised eyebrows, not really sure what he meant, but I didn't have long to wait to find out.

Carlos sat down on his lounger and pulled me down beside him. He leaned back, placing his left arm behind his head and pulling me down on top of him with his right arm. I was lying on his stomach facing him, revelling in the nearness of our bodies. Once again, I closed my eyes, trying to take in the full effect.

"Babe, look at me."

My eyes shot open and looked deeply into the eyes that were only inches from mine. I wanted nothing more than to lean down and place my lips on his, but I never got the chance. He reached up, pulled me closer to him and kissed me with a tenderness and passion that I'd never experienced before.

* * *

More to follow.

Here's a head's up that my postings will slow down for the next few weeks. I have to travel for work and will not have much free time. I will do my best. Apologies for any inconvenience caused. :)


	19. Chapter 19 - A New Level of Intimacy

Thanks for your patience in getting new chapters. Enjoy!

Usual disclaimer applies.

* * *

**19. A New Level of Intimacy**

Carlos and I kissed and spent the afternoon in each other's arms. We ventured into the pool once more and continued kissing, but never escalating to a more physical connection. We were both happy to explore this new facet of our relationship slowly and responsibly.

"God Babe, just kissing you is the most erotic thing I have ever experienced in my life."

I knew exactly what he meant, so I simply nodded and continued to run my hands along his chest. We stayed in each other's arms for the next few hours, kissing, talking and laughing.

Carlos' phone rang, drawing us both out of our little fantasy world. We both looked at the clock and realised that it was just after 4PM. I rolled over onto my stomach and stretched while Carlos spoke on the phone. I wasn't really listening to Carlos' half of the phone conversation so when I heard my name, I turned and looked at him.

He was nodding as he spoke, agreeing to something, but I couldn't follow what he was saying or determine who he was talking with. He hung up the phone and looked over at me before walking back and sitting beside me. He took my face in his hands and said, "Babe, that was my dad, he is my ride home tonight and he invited you to join us for dinner. I think he is concerned about you and this is his way of ensuring that you are doing OK. I can drive you back later."

I was a bit disappointed that we had to return to the real world, but I hadn't seen Maria in a couple of weeks, so I agreed that dinner wouldn't be too much of a hardship.

"The girls are out this evening, so it'll just be us and my folks. We can choose the topics of conversation and we can direct them away from anything you don't want to discuss. We are supposed to meet my father at his office in about 50 minutes. Did you want to shower beforehand?"

"Yeah, I've got sun block and sweat all over me. A shower is probably a good idea. I shouldn't be long."

I kissed Carlos and left him lying on the sun lounger while I went for a shower.

I emerged from the shower in a fresh t-shirt and jeans. I spent a few moments on my hair and makeup. When I was content with my appearance, I grabbed my bag and made my way out to the living room. Carlos had been busy while I was in the shower. He covered over the pool, put away our chairs, cleaned up the mess from lunch and was ready and waiting for me.

Carlos placed his arm around my shoulder and kissed me on my forehead as we walked to the elevator. Once in the elevator, I turned to Carlos and kissed him gently on the lips. We had no time to deepen the kiss because the elevator was very quick, so we walked out of my building hand in hand towards the office.

We walked two blocks in a comfortable silence when I saw our reflection in the window. I had an odd feeling so I pulled my hand from Carlos' and tucked it in my pocket. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow, but I wasn't sure why I had that reaction.

"Do you mind if we keep what has happened between us to ourselves for now? I don't know why, but I feel like I need to be comfortable with us before I can share that with the rest of the world."

Carlos smiled. "I completely understand where you're coming from. Part of me wants to shout about you from the rooftops, but another part wants to keep you to myself. I've wanted you from the moment I laid eyes on you, so I'll have to work extra hard not to touch you or do something that will make you uncomfortable in public. As a start, I'm going to put my own hands in my pockets because the urge to touch you is pretty strong right now."

I laughed, bumped my shoulder into Carlos and continued walking. We reached the office just in time to meet Ricardo on his way down to the car. He congratulated us on our impeccable timing and filled me in on one of the investigations I had helped with the previous week.

"The FBI has decided to pursue a RICO case against our client using the information you uncovered. They may come to see you at the office, but they won't need to involve you in the case. They may just question you about your techniques in uncovering this information.

The agent who spoke to me was impressed with your findings. They had been after this guy for three years with nothing to show for it, even though they had highly trained forensic accountants searching this whole time. I am very proud of your accomplishments and the attention the FBI seems to be giving to this case may mean additional work for our firm in the future."

I climbed into the backseat of the car as we made our way to the Manoso's. Ricardo and Carlos kept up the conversation, requiring little input from me. I was trying to sort out the events of today and how my feelings had changed. I was sad about Ryan but I was also relieved. On the other hand, I was happy about Carlos and me but it was so new that I didn't really know what to think of it.

When we arrived at the Manoso's Maria met us at the door and hugged me as soon as I was past the threshold.

"Stephanie dear, Ricardo tells me you've had some unpleasant news today. Come in and we can talk about it if you'd like."

I turned and looked at Ricardo and Carlos and then followed Maria into the kitchen. She walked over to the stove as Ricardo walked in and kissed her on the cheek.

"Carlos is going to have a shower. He mentioned that you two enjoyed some time in the pool and he wanted to wash off the sun block and chlorine."

I nodded and watched as Ricardo pulled out a stool and indicated that I should sit.

"Stephanie, how can we help?"

I looked at Ricardo and saw the concern on his face. It was the same look that Carlos had earlier, so I knew I could tell him and Maria everything without them judging me. I explained the meeting with Detective Carter and the news he shared with me and they were very sympathetic to everything I had been through and how the news must have upset me.

Maria looked at me for moment and it seemed to me like she conflicted about something. I looked directly at her and expected her to look away after a moment, but she studied me instead.

"Stephanie dear, I know this may be none of my business, but can you explain why your first call was to Carlos?"

I was surprised by her question, but not because of the change in the relationship between Carlos and me, but because other than her and Ricardo, Carlos was the only person in Newark that I trusted.

"It's more about geography than anything Maria. Carlos was the closest friend I trusted. When I called him, my only intention was to talk on the phone. When he insisted on meeting for lunch, I didn't realise until he showed up how much I needed a friend. He recognised my need for a friend before I did. I can't thank him enough for taking care of me. You should be very proud of raising such a good man. He's been a great friend to me through this whole ordeal."

Ricardo and Maria thanked me for my kind words but Maria was still watching me intently. I can't be sure, but I was beginning to think that she might suspect something that she wasn't saying. I was having trouble admitting my feelings for Carlos to myself. If I tell anybody about my changed feelings, I should probably tell Carlos before admitting it to his mother.

Ricardo kissed Maria and went to change before dinner, leaving Maria and I alone. She was facing the stove so I asked if I could help at all. She declined any help, but she did turn to face me as she stirred some sauce on the stove.

"There's something else dear, I can tell that you didn't say everything earlier."

I stared at her and debated what I should say, not wanting to deceive her in any way.

"I don't know why but I feel guilty about what has happened to Ryan. If I paid more attention to him when we were together, I could have gotten him help before he passed that point of no return. But that's only part of the guilt I feel. I am also feeling guilty at the relief I felt when Detective Carter told me about his coma. Guilt at the relief I felt because I could move on with my life and leave him behind."

"You shouldn't feel guilty about either of those things Stephanie. You are not responsible for Ryan's drug use and from the sounds of it, you are better off without him in your life. You should not feel guilt over moving on with your life or finding someone else to love. You deserve your happiness dear, but you can't let your past interfere with the present or the future."

Maria hugged me as I tried to stifle the tears that filled my eyes. She was so supportive of me and more like a mother to me than my own.

I wiped my tears and looked into Maria's face. "Thanks Maria, you've been so wonderful to me. You encourage me and support me no matter what, just like I always wished my mother would. Your children are lucky to have your love and support."

"Ever since Carlos brought you into our home, I've felt protective over you. I keep hoping that you will be a daughter to me someday, if you and Carlos ever figure out what's right in front of you, but in the meantime, I'm happy to support you in any way I can."

I blushed at her words, but said nothing to indicate that her desires may have recently become my desires as well. I wasn't sure I was ready to admit that, especially since the future, mostly the fact that Carlos may join the army was so unknown. I wanted to get used to the idea of a relationship with Carlos before we broadcast ourselves to the entire world.

Maria sensed my deep thoughts and said, "Dinner will be ready in about 20 minutes. Why don't you go rest in the sitting room and wait for Carlos. We'll call you when we're ready to eat."

I smiled at Maria's kindness and went and sat on the sofa. I sat where Carlos normally sat, feeling a little rebellious and partially hoping for some sort of teasing confrontation. I realised when I was speaking to Maria that I really wanted to have a relationship with Carlos, but I didn't see the point if we both weren't on the same page. I wanted monogamy, transparency and trust. I just hoped that Carlos feels the same way.

I leaned my head back on the sofa and rested my eyes while I waited. I must have been more exhausted than I thought because I was awoken a few minutes later when Carlos brushed the back of his hand against the side of my face and said, "Wake up Babe."

I opened my eyes to warm brown eyes and a beautiful smile.

"Is it dinner time already?"

"No Babe, Mama says it will be another 10 minutes or so. She said that you came in here, so I thought I'd join you."

"Carlos, there's something I have to tell you, and I'm not really sure how to phrase it, so please be patient with me as I try to get the words out."

Carlos sat on the sofa beside me, leaving some space between us and waited for me to finish my thoughts.

"When I was talking to your mother earlier, I realised that I have a lot of guilt over what has happened to Ryan. As a result, I was closing myself off and avoiding anything that would worsen those feelings. I think that is why I was never really willing to get close to you or to open myself up to you.

"I know now that I can't ignore my feelings for you, but at the same time, I can't ignore the guilt I feel over what happened between Ryan and me. As a result, I want you to know that I do want a relationship with you, but with some agreements from you ahead of time."

Carlos took my hand and kissed it gently before placing it back at my side. "I'll give you whatever you want Babe, just for the chance to be with you."

"What I need from you is loyalty, truth and honesty. If you can provide that, I will do the same and we can move forward. I just want to make sure that we're on the same page before we go any further."

"I know you've had issues with trust in the past, and I'll do everything I can to erase those failings from your mind. I will treat you with respect, talk to you if I have a problem, and most of all, I'll listen when you need an ear or are upset. I want to be with you Babe. You deserve to be with someone who appreciates everything that you are and I can't wait to be able to tell everyone that you have agreed to be my girlfriend."

"Before we tell anyone, I think we have to play a little trick on your parents for setting us up last month."

Carlos' eyes went wide and an evil grin spread across his face. "Leave it to me Babe. I have the perfect idea."

I followed Carlos into the dining room where his mother was setting the table. We helped place the last few plates around the table and then sat across from each other as instructed. Maria and Ricardo carried in the food and then sat down at the ends of the table.

I was nervous about whatever Carlos was planning, and it must have showed because both Ricardo and Maria kept looking at me as we ate. When we were finished, Maria asked if we wanted dessert now, or if we wanted to wait a bit and have it in the sitting room.

"Actually Mama, there's something that we have to tell you and Papa, and I'm not sure you're going to like it much."

Both Maria and Ricardo looked at Carlos before indicating that he should proceed.

"Do you remember the day we helped Stephanie move into her apartment?" After a nod from both, he proceeded. "Well, a funny thing happened that night, and without going into too much detail, Stephanie and I were forced to share a bed. At the time, we were emotionally raw and probably not thinking very clearly. Anyway, one thing led to another, and we slept together.

"The next morning, Stephanie and I agreed that neither of us was ready for a relationship, so we decided to stay friends. Stephanie found out some news yesterday about Ryan, but that wasn't the only thing she discovered. This other news is why she contacted me. Mama, Papa, Stephanie's going to have a baby."

I choked on my drink and both Maria and Ricardo's mouths opened as they stared back and forth between us. I couldn't stand the worry and mixed emotions running across their faces so I intervened. I glared at him and he did have the good sense to look a little guilty.

"Carlos! I'm sorry Maria, Ricardo, but I am **_not_** pregnant. Carlos and I realised that the spare room linens had a little help to disappear and we wanted to play a joke on you. I didn't think Carlos would take it this far, especially because we may have shared a bed, but that's that happened and Carlos knows it."

"Ricardo Carlos Manoso, what kind of a joke is that to play on your parents? Your father and I raised you better than that. How do you ever expect this young woman to see you as anything other than an immature jokester when you do things like that?"

"Maria, calm down dear. Carlos and Stephanie just wanted us to know that they didn't appreciate the little push we gave them. It's clear that it didn't work as we'd have liked, but they have a valid reason for being upset."

I looked at Carlos and he was watching my reactions to the conversation around the table. I wasn't sure how I could interrupt, so I cleared my throat.

"Ricardo, Maria, are you two saying that you want me and your son to be together?"

Both nodded and looked a little embarrassed by their admission, but they didn't look away in shame.

"Mama and Papa, you should know that your attempts to push us together failed. Neither of us was really ready for a relationship, regardless of our attraction or chemistry. Pushing us together that night only made things more awkward between us, but we did manage to recognise that it was too soon for anything other than friendship."

Maria sat up straight and watched Carlos intently as he spoke. When he finished, she looked over at me and smiled. "Did I hear you say 'neither of us was ready'? Does that mean that you are now?" The look of excitement spread across her face as she waited for us to reply.

"When I first met Carlos, he was a polite stranger who unintentionally exposed my boyfriend for the cheating sleaze that he was. Our friendship progressed, I started working for you Ricardo, and there was never a point where I felt anything but platonic friendship for Carlos.

"Even after Carlos admitted his feelings for me, I pushed him away. Ryan's betrayal was still raw, as was his assault and the break-in at my apartment. In a nutshell, I was a mess, and I needed time to heal, so Carlos and I stayed friends. When I heard the news from Detective Carter this morning, the only person I wanted to talk to was Carlos. He had been there for me throughout the whole ordeal, and I just wanted to hear his voice.

"When Carlos actually rearranged his schedule with Tom, something awakened in me. Carlos and I have spent the afternoon talking and we have decided that we are more than just friends. We have feelings for each other, and we are going to see where that leads us. I hope you two are OK with this."

All three Manosos were smiling at me. Carlos had a dopey love-sick grin, Maria had tears in her eyes as she beamed at me and Ricardo was nodding his head as he smiled.

"I think I can safely speak for Maria when I say that we are OK with you dating Carlos. We both watched the two of you interact and saw how great you would be together. We're very happy, but we want to assure both of you that we will not pressure you in any way. If things between you don't work out for any reason, we'll still love you both. We'll be disappointed, but we won't take that out on either of you."

For the rest of the evening, the four of us talked about many topics, but we didn't really talk about Carlos' and my relationship, for which I was grateful. We did discuss the girls staying with me one weekend, so we set a tentative date and worked out that Maria would drop the girls off on the following Friday after work. She'd leave her car with me so Carlos could get home that evening and then she'd meet Ricardo at his office.

I thanked both Ricardo and Maria for their kindness as I hugged them on the way out the door later that evening.

When Carlos pulled up in front of my building, he leaned over and kissed me. Until now, our kisses had been light and sweet, but this one was passionate and left us breathing heavily when I pulled back. I placed my hand on Carlos' thigh and kissed him again.

"You're playing with fire Babe."

"Maybe I want to get burned."

"As much as I'd love to, I have to be up in 5 hours. I don't want to rush anything between us, so we'll have to have to have a bit of patience."

He walked me to the entrance, kissed me one last time and promised to call me the next day as he drove away.

* * *

The next chapter will not be up for a few days as I'll be travelling. I'm hoping to get one or two up while I'm away, but I won't make any promises.

L.


	20. Chapter 20 - Interfering G-Men

I am not American so I don't really know much about the different law enforcement agencies there. All I know I saw in different films and television series. I just wanted to remind you that this is fiction and in this particular AU, these things can happen.

On that note, enjoy.

Usual disclaimer goes here...

* * *

**20. Interfering G-Men**

Ricardo wasn't wrong when he said that the FBI might want to talk to me. They descended on our office the following Wednesday, took over our largest conference room and insisted that I go over all of my findings with them so they could understand how I found something that they all missed.

I was initially intimidated by their superior attitudes and the fact that they tried to treat me like a criminal. After about an hour of their questions, it dawned on me that they were really interested in how I put the connections together and found what they missed. I was getting tired of their attitude towards me, and after explaining something to Agent Franks for the third time, I snapped.

"Why are you here Agent Franks? I have answered your questions, explained my findings and you are still treating me like I'm the one who has done something wrong. I have things to do, so if you don't need me anymore, I will go."

"I'm sorry Miss Plum, but you cannot go until we are satisfied with your explanation on your findings. Mr Manoso has been informed that you have been sequestered by the FBI to aid in our research against your client. Any interference from him or you could result in collusion charges against this company."

"What is so hard to understand about my findings? The payments for office supplies, especially reams of paper didn't correspond to the printer supplies. If they were going through that much printer paper, they would have also needed additional printer cartridges. Also, there were no corresponding purchase orders for these reams of paper. They were paid for using petty cash and no receipts were ever provided.

"The fact that there were no receipts or purchase orders for these items stood out to me, so I marked the payments with some sticky notes to revisit later. Later on, I did a bit of mathematics and realised that they ordered 4600 reams of high-quality paper this way.

"After a bit of research, I found that on average, a ream of paper costs between $8 and $12, depending on quality. The price quotes for that quantity would lower the price from $4 to $6, and the price listed in the financial records was $20/ream. That's almost $100,000 of paper, none of which seems to have been used, if the printer cartridges haven't been replaced lately.

"I don't know why the paper stood out to me, but it just didn't feel right. I go through no more than 1 and a half to two reams of paper a year at college. This office goes through a few reams per month at most, and that's only if we have to print reports for federal agencies. It just stood out to me."

Agent Franks and Agent Bartlett listened to everything I said with blank looks on their faces. When I was finished my rant, they looked at each other, seemed to have some sort of silent communication and then Agent Bartlett excused himself.

I sat down in frustration, waiting for some sort of reaction from these men. I clasped my hands on the table and started fidgeting with my fingernails.

Agent Bartlett returned several minutes later, followed by an angry looking Ricardo Manoso. As he walked past me, his expression softened and he patted me on the shoulder before sitting down beside me.

"Mr Manoso, we've asked you to join us because we have a proposition for you, your company and Miss Plum. After listening to Miss Plum's explanation over the last few hours, it has become clear to us that she has a natural talent for ferreting out fraudulent financial entries that have been hidden in plain sight.

"Our forensic accountants spent the past three years going through these same financial records and they found nothing. Miss Plum spent an afternoon with the same records and easily spotted an unexplainable discrepancy.

"We would like to contract your firm on a case-by-case basis to help us when our usual team are unable to turn anything up. Miss Plum may be able to make links that we cannot, and we're very interested in paying for and benefitting from those skills."

Ricardo looked at the agents and then at me while he thought about his reply.

"First of all gentlemen, Miss Plum will be returning to college in just over two months. Secondly, if it is Stephanie's involvement that you want, why bother dealing with my company?"

Agent Bartlett sighed, looked at me and then answered Ricardo's question.

"We are aware that Miss Plum is a student. We have done a thorough backgroun check on you and know everything from where you are currently living in New Brunswick and that your ex-boyfriend who is in a coma. As for involving your firm, we don't want to list Miss Plum in our records directly because they are public record. It would be safer for her if only a company name was used."

I was watching this conversation happen around me knowing it was about me, but I wasn't sure how to intercede and put an end to it. The Agents were talking about me like I wasn't there and Ricardo was doing his best to protect me, but I needed to speak up for myself.

"Enough. I want some time to think about this and I also want to see something in writing that lays out the legal requirements for both me and Mr Manoso's company if we decided to move forward. I want to know how this will affect us and any potential problems we might face as a result."

Ricardo looked at me with pride as I spoke and both Agents nodded their heads.

"I think we can put a package together for you by the end of the week. Agent Franks and I will come back Friday with the necessary paperwork so you can both think about your options. We will meet you both here at noon on Friday and take you for lunch so we can go over the paperwork and answer any questions you might have. You can then have a week to think about our offer."

The two agents stood up and shook hands with both Ricardo and me before excusing themselves and leaving the building. Ricardo and I sat down and stared at each other, neither knowing what exactly to say. Finally, Ricardo looked at his watch and said, "Come on Stephanie, it's almost time to go home for the day. This has been a long and stressful day for you so why don't you let me take you and the rest of my girls out for dinner. Carlos works until 7 so we can collect him on our way to the restaurant. What do you say?"

"I'd really love that. This has been such an overwhelming day and spending time with your family always seems to relax me. It might also give Isabella, Evelyn and I time to plan our weekend. Is there enough time for me to run home and change?"

"Yeah, it's just about 4:30, so why don't you leave now and I will stop and pick you up at 5 on the way past. I'll call Maria so she can get her and the girls ready. This is a nice restaurant, so jeans are not really appropriate. I'll also call Carlos and see if he needs us to bring him a change of clothes."

I thanked Ricardo and walked home as quickly as possible. I walked into my apartment and saw that I had about 20 minutes to get ready. I didn't have time to shower, so I fixed my hair and makeup as best as I could in the time available. I shed my business suit and put on a pretty greyish-blue wrap around dress that tied at the side. I slipped into a pair of sling-backed tan shoes, grabbed my handbag and raced downstairs to find Ricardo and Jonny discussing baseball. Jonny whistled when he saw me and Ricardo complemented me on my dress. The attention caused me to blush as I exited the building behind Ricardo.

We didn't talk much on the drive to meet Maria and the girls at the house, but the trip went quickly. The girls were excited to see me and talk about the weekend. When we arrived, neither of the girls had decided what they wanted to wear, so I was dragged upstairs to help them rifle through their closets.

At 6:15, Maria yelled up the stairs to tell us that we would be leaving in 15 minutes. The girls ran around trying to finish getting ready and I went downstairs to wait in the sitting room. Both Maria and Ricardo were sitting in there, so we passed the time talking about the restaurant we were going to that evening. Ricardo left a little earlier than the rest of us so he could take Carlos a change of clothes. We followed after him a few minutes later and arrived at the restaurant before the men.

The restaurant was owned by a friend of Ricardo's who grew up with him in Cuba. He greeted us warmly at the door and escorted us to our table. He and Maria spoke for a few minutes in Spanish, and then Maria turned to me.

"Stephanie, this is a dear friend of ours, Alejandro. He and Ricardo grew up together in Cuba. We even named our son after him."

I smiled at Alejandro and shook his outstretched hand.

"It's very nice to meet you Stephanie. Maria tells me that you and Carlos both attend school in New Brunswick and that you are working for Ricardo."

I nodded and expressed my pleasure in meeting him, and my excitement to try some of his food. "I love to try new foods. Some of the meals I've had the pleasure to share with the Manoso family were spectacular."

Ricardo and Carlos walked in as we were talking to Alejandro. The two friends greeted affectionately, but I only had eyes for Carlos. He was dressed in a crisp white long-sleeved button-up shirt that contrasted beautifully with his skin colour. He stared into my eyes as he walked towards us, and only looked away when Alejandro spoke to him and shook his hand. They were speaking in Spanish, so I was unable to follow, but at one point, all eyes at the table fell on me. I blushed at all of the attention, but it must have had the desired effects because Alejandro waved and left us and Ricardo and Carlos took their seats.

The table was round and Ricardo and Maria sat side-by side, flanked by their daughters. Isabella sat between me and Maria, and Carlos was between me and Evelyn. We reviewed the menus for a short time before Ricardo made a suggestion.

"Why don't we ask Alejandro to prepare a family-style meal for us with several different dishes? That way we can share and Stephanie can try as many things as she likes?"

We all readily agreed as Ricardo went to speak to Alejandro. When he returned a few minutes later, he leaned across Evelyn and spoke quickly to Carlos in Spanish. I watched as the colour drained from Carlos' face as he listened to his father. He turned to look at me and then took my hand and asked me to follow him down a hallway towards the restrooms.

When we got to the end of the hallway Carlos opened a door and walked through, still holding my hand. I tried to pull my hand away from his when I saw who was in the office, but he wouldn't let me.

"My father said that you asked to speak to Stephanie and me. What do you want Lucida?"

"I work here Carlos, and I need this job. I just wanted to ask you and your **_whore_** to be discreet when I am around so it doesn't hurt so much to see your betrayal."

Carlos laughed at this remark and I was angry. I wasn't angry about being called a whore, I'd been called worse. I was angry because she suggested that Carlos had betrayed **_her_**.

"Lucida, if you want to keep this job, you will never again refer to Stephanie in that way. You will also do well to remember why we are no longer together. **_You_** were the one who betrayed **_me_**, even if you don't see it like that. I have spent the past 2 months trying to get myself into a position where I could trust again, and luckily, Stephanie and I have been able to get past the wrongs done to us and be together.

"I do not want you to speak to either of us this evening. Alejandro is an old family friend and you'd do well to remember that."

Carlos turned and pulled me out of the office behind him. I looked at Lucida and could see the hatred she had for me written across her face, but she knew she was in a precarious position. When we sat back down, Carlos kept my hand on his lap and tried to reassure me by rubbing his thumb in gentle patterns across the back of my hand.

Ricardo and Carlos had a moment of silent communication that seemed to satisfy Ricardo because he turned to the rest of us and asked what we had planned for the weekend. Evelyn, Isabella and I had discussed this while they were dressing earlier, but we hadn't come up with any concrete plans.

Isabella looked around and said, "Steph, what would you say to going roller skating at Branch Brook Park? We can walk around the park and have a picnic and then go roller skating afterward."

Evelyn liked this idea and pleaded with me to take them there. I hadn't been roller skating in years, but it was something that I enjoyed when I was younger.

"I don't see why not. I haven't been roller skating in years. That park is huge, so I'm sure we'll have plenty of things to see and do before roller skating."

The girls beamed at me and we all chatted throughout the meal about what food we should bring, whether we could get Carlos to skate with us, what time to leave, and whether we should book a place at the skating centre. We agreed that we would shop early Saturday morning for our picnic foods and then make our way over to the park. We also agreed that we would go roller skating immediately after lunch and then return to the apartment for some time in the pool. Everyone was happy with the plan. The girls were excited and Ricardo and Maria were relieved that the girls were looking forward to a weekend without them.

I hugged Ricardo, Maria and the girls before climbing into the car with Carlos and waved as we drove away.

"You know Babe, if you keep this up, my family will choose you over me if we ever break up."

I rolled my eyes and smiled at Carlos' comments.

"Oh don't be such a drama queen Carlos. You know as well as I do that your family will always love and support you, no matter what you do."

Carlos scowled at my drama queen comment, but he must have agreed with the rest of my statement because he didn't bring it up again.

We pulled up in front of my building and had a lengthy goodbye kiss. "Sleep well Babe. I'm going to be out of town tomorrow with Tom so I probably won't see you or talk to you until Friday. Good luck with the G-Men on Friday."

He kissed me one last time before I exited the car and made my way inside my building. Johnny greeted me as I entered from his open door. Since he was still awake, I mentioned that a car would be parked off and on here over the weekend and that I had two young guests. Johnny gave me a garage key and bid me good night.

I was so excited about the weekend with the girls that I didn't spare a thought for my meeting with the FBI. I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow and slept through the night.

* * *

I doubt I'll get another chapter up until early next week. Thanks for your patience. :)


	21. Chapter 21 - Blackmail that Backfires

Thanks for your patience in getting the next chapter. I'm back home and I'll be doing my best to continue with regular posts. I won't do saily posts any longer as I've run out of existing content, but I'm hoping to submit one every few days or so.

Enjoy!

* * *

**21. Blackmail that Backfires**

Thursday went by in a blur of meetings and marketing reports. Between financial projects, I was working with the marketing team trying to come up with innovative ways to lure in new customers. Late in the afternoon, after most of the marketing team had left, I was asked to look over some of the mock-ups and marketing collateral that was generated for the latest campaign. The graphics and the collateral were very good, and this gave me an idea. Unfortunately, the day was over so I wouldn't be able to discuss my idea with anyone until Monday.

I gathered my things from my desk and walked home, planning on spending the last few hours of sunlight on the deck with a good book. I changed out of my suit and was sitting on a lounger with a new book reading when my cell phone rang. I looked at the caller id and groaned when I saw that it was my parent's number.

"Stephanie, I think you should come home for dinner on Sunday night. We haven't seen much of you all summer."

"I'm sorry Mom, but I am babysitting Isabella and Evelyn Manoso this weekend. Their parents won't be back until Sunday afternoon. That's too late for me to get home for dinner. Besides, I told you the last time that I was there that I am not interested in dating Dickie."

"Stephanie, I know that you don't want to see Richard. That's why I have invited another young man for dinner, so you must come. Get somebody else to babysit those girls and come home where you belong. I found a nice young man for you from the Burg."

"I am not coming home this weekend Mom. I thought you understood that I didn't want to be set up. I am not interested in having dinner with another man. I have a boyfriend now. There is no need for you to continue with your mission to marry me off. I am capable of finding my own boyfriend."

"I know what I said, but this young man has everything that you need. He's respected in the community. He has just inherited his own house and it needs a woman's touch. He is ready to settle down and have a family. Who could possibly compete with that, Stephanie?"

"I'm dating Carlos Manoso. You remember him. I brought him to dinner the last time I was home. We decided that there was more to our friendship and we recently started dating. Things are going really well so far and I'm happy."

"Stephanie, he's not from the Burg and he's not Italian or Hungarian. You are going to embarrass me if you don't come home and settle down with a nice young man we can be proud of."

"Why does it matter that Carlos is not from the Burg? He's respectable and his family is respectable. As far as I see it, my family could learn a lot from his. Besides, I'm too young to even think about settling down. I'm only 17 years old. "

"Stephanie Michelle Plum, if you don't end this fiasco and come home for dinner on Sunday, you can forget about going back to college next year. We will stop helping with your expenses and you won't be able to afford school. You need to come home and date Joseph. He has inherited a house not too far from us, so you can help him get set up before you get married. I can help you with your cooking skills and the decorating. You will make him a good wife. You might be young, but with my help, you'll be more than ready for your new life."

"You are out of your mind Mom. I am not coming home so you can set me up with Joe Morelli. I haven't forgotten what he did to me in high school. I'm sure you haven't either. If you refuse to help me with my school expenses, I will get a second job and work my ass off to pay for it myself. You want me to settle down with a nice Burg man, but I don't want that. I don't want the same things that you have. I respect that you are happy with your life, but it's not what I want. I want to contribute to society. I want to finish my education. I want a career, and most of all, I want to marry a man of my choosing, even if he doesn't fit into the mould that you have pictured for me.

"I'm sorry if you don't approve of my relationship with Carlos, but I am not going to end it just because you picture me with another man. I care about Carlos a lot and his family have been wonderful to me with everything I've been through this summer. You are always criticising me for living my life, and if you can't accept me for the way I am then I would suggest that you lose my phone number."

"Stephanie, that's no way to talk to your mother, but you'll be sorry. There is no way that you'll be able to afford all of the fees for college, so I will just wait for you to show up on our doorstep penniless and desperate for an introduction to Joseph or some other young man from the Burg."

"I think you underestimate me Mother. Don't call me again until you can accept that I run my own life."

I hung up and stared at the phone, shocked at my mother's demands and threats. I knew that if it wasn't for their money in the past year, I wouldn't have been able to afford college. For the past 2 summers, I worked at Tasty Pastry for minimum wage, working 12 hour shifts. That was hard work, and at the end of the summer, I have very little to show for it.

My savings from the job at the bakery only paid the rent for the year, my parents paid my tuition. This year, I was working for Ricardo, and I would have significantly larger savings, but I doubted it would be enough to cover my living expenses _and_ tuition for the entire year.

Instead of relaxing with a book or in front of the television for the rest of the evening, I spent my time going over my finances. I worked out that I needed a minimum of another $2000 if I was going to be able to afford another year at college. That was a staggering value, and since I was a student, I'd never be able to get a bank loan without my parent's co-signature. I knew my mother would never do that, so I had to entertain the possibility that I might have to take a year off and work in order to afford going back to college the following year.

I made a plan to talk to Ricardo in the morning about extending my employment with his company. I would also start looking for an inexpensive place to live come September. My mind was racing, trying to come up with solutions because I knew I wouldn't show up in Trenton or give into my mother's ultimatums.

Sleep came fitfully that night. I was worried about my future and I was apprehensive about the meeting with the FBI the following day. At one point, I turned and looked at the bedside clock to see that it was 5:25. The sun was shining in through the curtains so I could tell it was going to be a nice day. I decided to go up to the deck and swim a few laps of the pool. I was hoping the exercise would help me burn some of my nervous energy. After 45 minutes, my exhausted limbs forced me out of the pool

It was still early so I wrapped myself in a towel and went down into the kitchen to make some coffee. While I was waiting for the black liquid to fill the pot, I pulled together some muesli, yogurt and some fruit salad. I grabbed a cup of coffee, added milk and sugar and then carried a tray with my breakfast up to the deck. I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and at 7:30, I covered the pool, carried down my breakfast tray and then had a shower and got ready for work.

By 8:45, I was sitting at my desk and reviewing my emails. I was reading about a new audit assignment and then reviewed the attached documents. I got had an email from Ricardo asking me to stop by his office around 10:30. I glanced up at the clock and saw that it was only 10, but I wanted to talk to him about my job. I called up and asked Amanda if I could come up early, but Ricardo was in a meeting. She promised to call as soon as he was free, so I went back to the audit documents to pass the time.

My phone rang about 15 minutes later. "Stephanie, you can come up now. Ricardo's meeting is over and he is free to talk to you."

Five minutes later, I was sitting in front of Ricardo, wondering how to say what I wanted to ask.

"Stephanie, you look upset, is something wrong?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you'd consider letting me extend my employment into the school year."

"I don't see why not, but how could you work and study at the same time? That would be too much for anyone, even somebody as dedicated and hard working as you."

"I need to take a year off. I looked at my finances last night and it doesn't look like I'll save enough money this summer to pay for my expenses next year. I normally have help from my parents, but my mother and I have had a disagreement and she won't help next year."

"I'm sorry about your mother. She must have made some very unreasonable demands for you to risk your education. As for your job, I'm sure we can work something out, but before you make any decisions, I should tell you about the meeting I just had.

"I was meeting with our lawyers because they will need to go over any paperwork given to us by the FBI, and I wanted to give them a heads-up. They told me that they've seen similar agreements with various federal agencies, and they all have one thing in common. They are extremely classified and they compensate very well. I think you should wait and see what the FBI is offering before you throw in the towel on your education.

"If you decide that their offer is unacceptable, we'll figure out another solution."

I was so relieved that I didn't notice the tears that filled my eyes. I thanked Ricardo for his support and answered his questions about the conversation I had with my mother. When I finished explaining that my mother wanted me to quit college, marry and keep house for a virtual stranger, just because they were Burg, he walked over and hugged me.

"I won't lie to you dear, it is a big hope of Maria's and mine that you and Carlos might one day marry, but you are both far too young right now to even think about marriage. I know Maria was already married and had birthed 2 children when she was your age, but things were different back then, especially in Cuba. You have a gift when it comes to numbers and patterns in finances, and it would be a shame to let that go to waste. I'm very proud that you stood up to your mother, and I'm even more proud that I raised a son that you care about."

I wiped away my tears and smiled at Ricardo. His words were very helpful, especially the part about his pride in me. I did care about his son, and the man Carlos has turned into is because of his parent's love and support.

"I am grateful every day that Carlos chose to sit at my table that fateful morning. It took me a long time to realise my feelings for him, but now that I'm aware, they grow every day. You and Maria should be proud of the man Carlos has become. He is a reflection of you both, and I am honoured that I get to have him and the rest of you in my life."

Ricardo and I talked for a little while longer about what the FBI might require, and how it might affect my job. Neither of us really knew what to expect, but we had fun coming up with theories and possible scenarios. Amanda interrupted us at 11:30 to tell us that there was a town car downstairs waiting to take Ricardo and me to lunch. We gathered our things and walked out to the car together.

Once we were settled into the back seat, the driver told us to get comfortable because the journey would take about 40 minutes. He wouldn't tell us the final destination, but we could tell that we were travelling into New York. A half hour later, it was clear that we were headed into Manhattan when we went through the Lincoln Tunnel. Ricardo and I looked at each other, wondering where we were going. We didn't have to wait long.

A few minutes later, the car stopped in front of the iconic Four Seasons Hotel. The driver opened our door and a man dressed in a suit met us as we exited the car. He introduced himself as an FBI security guard and asked us to follow him. We were led into the Garden restaurant and left at a table where a waiter hurried over and handed us menus.

I looked around in wonder. I'd never been to the Four Seasons Hotel, so this was a bit of a treat for me. Ricardo was also looking around, but he had a more sceptical look on his face. We both looked at our menus and were joined by Agents Franks and Bartlett moments later.

"Miss Plum, Mr Manoso, it's a pleasure to see you again. Please order whatever you want and we can discuss business while we wait for our food."

I ordered the only burger on the menu and Ricardo ordered a tuna pasta dish. Agent Franks ordered a Cob salad and Agent Bartlett ordered a grilled chicken salad. The waiter brought us a pitcher of sparkling water and a carafe of white wine. Agent Bartlett filled our glasses, mine with water only and Agent Franks pulled two folders from his briefcase, handing one to Ricardo and one to me.

I opened my folder and gasped at the numbers listed inside. Ricardo must have done the same because he turned and looked at me, then back at the agents before closing his folder and excusing himself to make a phone call. Moments later, Ricardo returned and sat down. He didn't look at me, but studied the agents for a few minutes, trying to read something in their expressions.

"Agents Franks and Bartlett, can you please explain the financial terms to me as there are only values in here, no explanations. I just spoke to my lawyer and he told me that he's never heard of the FBI paying these sums before."

Agent Franks looked a little uncomfortable, but Agent Bartlett showed his strength by answering Ricardo.

"We are offering this compensation to because we will legally need to disclose the name of your company in our records. These records will then be available to every attorney involved in any prosecutions we pursue.

"We can ensure that Miss Plum's name is not disclosed, but we have to list her employer and there is a small element of risk involved. We prosecute some very nasty people, and there is always the possibility that one of these individuals will try and take revenge out on you, your company or your family. I can assure you that nobody we have ever prosecuted has targeted an accountant before. This is just a precaution we like to take, and because of the possible danger, we add compensation. We also include wrongful death benefits in this offer. If something happens to you, your family, or your business for that matter, you are generously compensated. I understand that money can't solve everything, but we hope that aspect of your agreement will never be invoked.

"The retainer fee we offer will stand, even if we never call on Miss Plum's services. For each case that Miss Plum works on, both she and your firm will receive a lump-sum payment of different values. Miss Plum will receive the greater sum, but the firm gets a larger retainer fee overall. I think this is an extremely generous offer, but now that you have the papers, you can consult your lawyers and give us an answer by the end of next week."

I tried my best to follow the conversation, but as soon as Agent Bartlett started talking about the possible dangers and wrongful deaths, I sort of lost my focus. The sums of money they were offering were large enough that I figured the danger must be significant. I couldn't really reconcile how they could justify paying me the amounts they were offering and at the same time, make it safe enough for me to accept their offer. Ricardo must have sensed my concerns because he started to ask questions.

"Have any of the companies, individuals or their families ever been harmed in any way because of work performed on behalf of the FBI?"

Agent Franks looked annoyed at Ricardo's question, but I wanted to know the answer. I looked at Agent Bartlett with raised eyebrows, waiting for an answer.

"Yes, there have been instances where witnesses who have helped us were harmed, but they didn't usually come along until much later in the investigative process. We have never had a consultant or one of our own on-staff forensic accountants targeted by one of our suspects. They're too far down the food chain and usually are too anonymous to warrant interest by the bad guys."

All of this ran around my head for the rest of the afternoon. The car ride back to Newark was quiet and sort of uncomfortable. I couldn't fathom putting the Manosos in danger and I was pretty set on not accepting the offer. We returned to the office just in time to meet Maria as she dropped off the girls. I got to leave a bit early and we all headed to my apartment.

Maria and Ricardo said goodbye to the girls and then walked back to the office, leaving us to entertain ourselves. Of course, that was the easy part. It was a beautiful day and there was a pool to keep us cool.

* * *

The next chapter will be up within the next 2-3 days.


	22. Chapter 22 - A Weekend with the Ducks

Thanks for all your feedback. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

**22. A Weekend with the Ducks**

When Carlos arrived at 6:00, the girls and I were pooled out. We had spent the entire time since we got here in the pool playing games and having fun. We each had pruney fingers and our hair smelled like chlorine. Carlos didn't seem too disappointed that he didn't get some pool time because he knew he could go in later if he fancied a dip.

When the girls were cleaning up, I talked to Carlos about the offer from the FBI. I didn't tell him about the specific numbers but I did tell him about their offer to pay me to work for them on a case-by-case basis. He seemed really proud of me but he also advised caution. I told him we could talk about it more later after I had some time to think and discuss the offer with Ricardo a little more.

That night we ordered pizza for dinner. It was a bit of a challenge to get the right toppings because each of us had different favourites. In the end, we got two large pizzas, one with pepperoni and extra cheese. The other was a vegetarian supreme. Carlos was a bit of a health freak and wanted to avoid the excess fat that was in the pepperoni. I was fine with that because Evie and I loved pepperoni.

We also played board games and had a lot of fun. At 9:00, the girls looked like they would fall asleep on the sofa so I suggested that they get ready for bed. They each ran upstairs and took turns getting ready for bed and then came down to say goodnight. I tucked them into their own rooms and then returned downstairs to Carlos.

I looked up as I entered the living room to find Carlos grinning at me as I walked in. He walked over to me and wrapped me in a huge hug. He then kissed me and said, "I've been waiting to do that ever since I got here tonight."

I smiled at Carlos and sat on the sofa beside him. I have been doing a lot of thinking about my relationship with Carlos and I wanted to talk to Carlos about a topic that could prove to be embarrassing. Carlos must have sensed my apprehension because he said, "Babe, you know you can ask me or tell me anything right?"

I nodded and said, "I wanted to talk to you about something, but it's a little embarrassing."

Carlos was patient and took my hands while he waited for me to continue. I looked up at his face and had to smile. He was a handsome man and the expression on his face when he looked at me made me want to tell him everything and anything I could think of.

"Carlos, I don't know how to say this so I'll just come out and with it. I have very little experience when it comes to sex. I'm worried that you might hate me if I want to wait until I'm ready to be with you."

"Babe, we just started dating. I don't think either of us is really ready for anything physical just yet. I've had sex with a few different women in the past, but I don't want that with you. I want to make love with you Babe. I want it to mean something. I don't want to fuck you just for the pleasure, although I'm sure it would be pleasurable. I want to be with you in every sense of the word and if that means waiting, I'm OK with that."

I looked at Carlos and said, "If it ever becomes a problem, please talk to me. I don't want to lose you just because I'm afraid of a little intimacy."

Carlos smiled and hugged me. "I'm sure we'll both be ready and know when the right time comes. There's more to us than just a physical attraction. We started out as friends and that's far more important than sex to me right now."

I accepted Carlos' statement and got ready for bed. Once again, we were forced to share a bed. This time it was even more awkward than the last time. Last time, we were just friends. Now we were more than friends. We were at that stage between friends and lovers, and it was usually only lovers who shared a bed.

I crawled under the covers and let Carlos pull my back to his front. I fell asleep that night thinking that I could easily fall in love with Carlos if I wasn't careful. I didn't have to dwell on that thought for long because sleep quickly overcame me.

The next morning seemed to happen in a bit of a rush. The girls got up after Carlos and I had been up for about an hour. Carlos made scrambled eggs and I toasted some bagels. After breakfast, we went to the supermarket to find some picnic foods.

We returned to the apartment with our shopping to make our picnic lunch. We made sandwiches and salads. We cut up vegetables and brownies and packed them all in a chilling bag. We included several bottles of water and packed a large blanket. Once we arrived at the park, we walked around until we discovered the perfect picnic location. We laid out a blanket and enjoyed our feast.

We had a lazy lunch and then walked around the park. We fed the ducks and then we headed to the roller skating arena. I used to be a pretty good skater when I was younger, but Carlos managed to out-skate us all. All eyes were on him when he was swinging his hips and skating between his sisters, including mine.

Several girls tried to get Carlos to help them around the rink. He declined every offer and made sure I was close by whenever a girl approached him. I was feeling a little overwhelmed by all the looks of hatred that I encountered. Carlos made it clear that I was his girlfriend and the other women there didn't seem to like that Carlos wasn't available.

Eventually the girls got bored and we left. I don't know if they were tired of watching their brother fend off the preying mantas or if they were genuinely tired. It was hard to say because I was kind of in the same boat. I was tired of watching the women throw themselves at Carlos, but I was also skated out.

We arrived back at the apartment too late to do much more than a small bite to eat and then a quick swim before bed. After the girls went to bed, Carlos and I watched a film and kissed and snuggled on the sofa. Part way through the film, Ricardo and Maria called to check in on the girls. It was only 9PM and they were pleasantly surprised to hear that the girls were sound asleep already. Carlos explained that we had a very busy day and that the girls were exhausted. We said goodnight to Maria and Ricardo and headed to bed ourselves when the film was over.

Sunday was a day spent lounging by the pool. The weather was steamy and we indulged in the sun, ice cream, and many fun games in the pool. I drooled as Carlos walked around a pair of swim trunks that left my imagination racing. They rode low on his hips and displayed his abs beautifully.

Based on the looks he was giving me, he appreciated the bathing suit that I was wearing. I originally thought about wearing my bikini, but figured it might not be appropriate around his sisters. I chose a simple one-piece instead.

Jonny called around 3 to let me know that Ricardo and Maria were downstairs. I told him to send them up and told the girls to go get changed. I wrapped a skirt around my waist and went down to greet Ricardo and Maria.

They both looked very content, and it was obvious that the weekend away was just what they needed. The smiles on their faces when their girls came down the stairs also showed that they loved and missed their children just as much as they appreciated the time away from them.

Maria smiled when Carlos made an appearance. He was still wearing his bathing suit, but he had thrown on a t-shirt. He hugged both his parents and they chatted for a few minutes in rushed Spanish before Maria turned to me.

"I hope the girls weren't too much trouble this weekend Stephanie, because we really enjoyed our time away."

I laughed and replied, "Not at all, we had a great time. You may need to talk to your youngest son though, because he's not a very graceful loser. The girls beat us easily when we played Candyland, but when we played Sorry, we all seemed to gang up on him. He pouted and complained the whole time."

Carlos didn't say anything about my comment, but he did give me a look that implied that he'd say something to me later. I flushed at the thought of later, but returned my attention back to the rest of his family.

Ricardo was busy looking at the photos that Evelyn took on her phone yesterday and Maria was helping Isabella gather their belongings. Before I knew it, they were hugging me goodbye and we were promising each other to do it again sometime soon. Ricardo said something quietly to Carlos on the way out the door and Carlos nodded before closing the door behind him.

* * *

As with my this chapter, it'll be a few days until I have a chance to post the next chapter. Thanks for your patience and support.


	23. Chapter 23 -Waiting is only Half the Fun

I know that my posts haven't been as quick as they once were, but I've run out of content that just needed editing. I've now got to actually finish this story so I'll do my best to keep up timely posts, but I can't guarantee a schedule of any sort. All I can do is promise to hurry as best as I can and still try to make the ending fit with my original vision.

Thanks for your support, patience and feedback. All are appreciated. Please enjoy this chapter, and all recognisable characters do not belong to me.

* * *

**23. Waiting is only Half the Fun**

I looked at Carlos, who had a wicked grin on his face. I backed into the apartment and walked away from him as he walked toward me. I could tell he was going to do something, but I wasn't going to wait around to find out. As soon as I bumped into the corner of the hallway, I turned and ran into the bathroom, closing the door and locking it behind me.

"You can't hide in there all day Babe. Come back out and we can go back up to the pool. I'll forgive you for humiliating me in front of my parents about the board games if you wear a skimpy little bikini for me."

I thought for a moment and decided that a bikini would make sunbathing a little easier. I rummaged around in the basket under the sink where I kept all of my bathing suits. When I say 'all', I simply mean the 4 I own. I have a one piece, a tankini and shorts set, a more modest bikini and a string bikini that I had just bought, with hopes of an opportunity alone with Carlos.

"I'll wear a bikini on one condition Carlos."

"And what is that Babe?"

"You have to ditch your shirt and wear this."

I opened the door and threw out a bathing suit that I had bought for Carlos. When I first saw it, I daydreamed about seeing him in it. It was a pair of fitted shorts that had an aquamarine and white tribal pattern all around them. They were similar to the trunks he was currently wearing, but these were made of a more stretchy material and would be much shorter on the legs. They would show off his powerful thighs and I could easily fantasise about what else they were covering because they were more form fitting.

"You have a deal Babe, but next time you go shopping, maybe you should buy something for yourself."

"Oh don't you worry, I did," I said as I opened the door and walked into the living room.

Carlos was staring at me with a dopey expression on his face, his swim trunks in his hand and long forgotten.

"Are you going to put those on and meet me upstairs, or are you just going to stare at me all day?"

"Both, I'll meet you up there."

I walked upstairs and out onto the deck. I cranked back the sun shade a little and then rearranged the lounge chairs so they were side by side and closer together.

When Carlos joined me several minutes later, it was my turn stare. I had been right, these new swim trunks left little to the imagination. They sat low enough on his hips that I could see the bottom of his oblique abdominal muscles as well as the small patch of hair beneath his belly button, leading down to what I can only assume is a piece of heaven.

"Babe, if you don't stop looking at me like that, I might not be so gentlemanly this afternoon."

I closed my mouth and blushed as I watched him walk closer to me. He was holding a bottle of sunscreen and motioned for me to lie down on the lounge chair. I complied by lying on my stomach and moving my hair around to the front of my neck, and out of his way.

Carlos sat on the lounger beside me and started to squeeze cool drops of sun screen over my back. I inhaled sharply as the first drop landed on my back. My breath quickened as his warm hands spread the cream across my back. When he untied the strings holding my bikini together, a soft moan escaped my throat.

Carlos moved to the backs of my legs, starting with my calves. As he moved higher, I was almost panting. Before he could meet where the skimpy fabric of my bottoms covered my ass, I grabbed his hands before they roamed somewhere that would make me melt. This was the most erotic thing I have ever experienced, and if I let him continue, who knows where we'd end up.

"Babe, roll over. I'll help you with your shoulders and then you can do me." Carlos spoke in a huskier voice than usual, and when I looked up at him, he was wearing a hint of a smile on his face.

Once again, I complied, forgetting that he'd already unfastened my bikini top at my neck. When I rolled, the fabric fell away and I way lying flat on my back with my breasts fully exposed, without really realising it at first. I closed my eyes as I felt the cold cream fall on my shoulders, revelling in Carlos' touch as he gently massaged the cream into my skin, moving lower and lower across my shoulders onto my chest.

My breathing was rapid, and as his left hand moved low enough to cup my left breast, the realisation that I was mostly naked hit me. I sat up covering myself so quickly that the top of my head collided with Carlos' chin and I fell backwards, completely stunned and disorientated.

When I came to my senses a few minutes later, I looked down and saw that my bikini top was pulled back up, but not fastened at the neck. Carlos was also holding something to his mouth. I looked closer and saw that there was blood on the ice-filled cloth.

"Oh my god, are you OK Carlos?"

"Yeah Babe, I'm OK. How about you? You were a bit stunned when your head hit my chin."

"I'm so sorry Carlos. I don't know what came over me. I had a sudden panic attack when I realised that I was so naked." I blushed such a deep shade of red that I bet my tinted lips looked pale in comparison.

Carlos grinned but didn't say anything as he sat down beside me, maintaining eye contact. He put down the ice filled cloth he had pressed against his lip and tied my bikini top before picking up the ice again, never looking away from my eyes.

Both of our attention was drawn towards Carlos' ringing phone, so he walked over to it and answered. I could only hear his half of the conversation, so I wasn't sure who he was talking to straight away.

"Not today."

"Because, I'm busy."

"Does it matter?"

"Stephanie."

"I'm not interested in that and I'm pretty sure Steph might have similar feelings."

"Another time perhaps."

"Yeah, later."

Carlos hung up, looked at me and then laughed heartily as he walked over to sit beside me.

"Who was that? And what did they say to make you laugh so hard?"

"It was Lester. He wanted me to go out with him and the other guys tonight, but when I told him I was with you, he suggested that he join us for a threesome. He was offended when I told him that I wasn't interested."

"I also recall you suggesting I wouldn't be interested. Perhaps you spoke too soon."

This time, I was the one that laughed because my comment caused Carlos to drop his ice. In his haste to pick the ice up, he slipped and fell onto his lounge chair, causing it to tip over and throw him to the ground.

Carlos looked embarrassed when he pulled himself upright, so I confessed, "I was just kidding Carlos. I think sex is a personal and intimate act between two people. I wouldn't consider adding a third person to the mix, especially since there hasn't even been a twosome yet. I didn't mean to make you fall."

I helped him set the lounge chair right and we left the ice to melt as I looked at Carlos' lip.

"I really got you good there didn't I? Why don't you lie down on your stomach and I'll rub some sun screen on your back."

Carlos nodded and stretched out on the lounge chair, providing me with a spectacular view of his luscious ass in the trunks he was wearing. I stood there for a moment, enjoying the view before I picked up the bottle of sun screen and started rubbing it into his back. I worked methodically, starting at his shoulders and working my way down his lithe and muscled back. As I neared the waistband of his trunks, I heard him take in a sharp breath. He was ticklish at the waist, so I left his back and started rubbing lotion on the backs of his legs.

I was careful where I touched from that point on because I knew how his hands affected me, so I finished and said, "All done," as I slapped him on the ass and stood.

Carlos rolled over and stretched on the lounge chair, stretching his arms above his head. I watched his muscles ripple as he stretched and slightly jumped when he said, "Can you help me out and put lotion on my chest Babe? I'm a bit sore from my fall and I don't want to miss any spots."

I looked up and blushed because I knew he caught me staring at his body. He was feigning pain as I looked down at him, but I wasn't about to turn down a chance to run my hands over his body. I went to sit beside him on the lounger, but he grabbed me by the waist and positioned me so I was straddling him. He picked up the bottle of sun screen and deposited some onto his hands before returning it to me.

The confused look on my face at his action prompted him to say, "I missed most of your stomach earlier, so while you're protecting me, I'll finish protecting you Babe."

I nodded my understanding and squeezed some lotion onto his chest as I worked my two arms around his as they rubbed lotion on my stomach. It was trying hard to concentrate on my task as he rubbed his hands along my stomach and up to the bottom of my bikini top. I rubbed lotion along his shoulders, concentrating on the little divot above his collar bone. I then rubbed lotion over his pecks, and as I slipped over his nipples, I felt them harden under my touch.

I felt my heart rate speed up as I moved lower down his chest to his stomach. I rubbed lotion into his skin, feeling the definition between each of his abdominal muscles, lingering longer than was really necessary. I felt Carlos' hands slide up my back as I rubbed lotion around his belly button. As I lowered my hands, I felt him wiggle a little and make eye contact with me. His eyes were darker than I've ever seen them, but that didn't encourage me to take my hands away from his waist, where I was sure he was ticklish.

I grinned as I lightly danced my fingers around his belly button and said, "I think somebody might be a little ticklish."

Instead of grabbing my hands away, Carlos pulled me down on top of my own hands and whispered in my ear. "My older brother used to use my ticklishness as a form of torture when I was younger. I'm pretty immune to it now, but I dare you to continue."

I looked at him for a moment, trying to decide if he was bluffing me or not. He let me sit up again and I decided to call his bluff. I added a new dollop of lotion below his belly button. I stared into his eyes as I gently spread the lotion out, using only fingertips. I watched Carlos try to hold himself still as my fingers moved lower and lower.

I ran one finger along the elastic waist band, and before I was able to move any further, Carlos pulled me towards him with such speed that I felt like I was falling. The next thing I knew, his lips were on mine and he was holding me tight enough that I could barely move my arm. I could wiggle my fingers though, so I moved them, trying to tickle him some more.

"Please stop that Babe, you're driving me crazy."

I leaned back a bit and looked into his gorgeous face and saw such raw emotion that I was at a loss for words. No man had ever treated me the way that Carlos did, and no man had ever got me so hot and bothered, just with a bottle of sun screen. I decided to let my own emotions towards this man flow freely and I leaned back down to kiss him, showing him just how he affected me. I could feel how I affected him and I wanted to explore that a little further.

We were pulled out of our little world by someone banging on the door. I was surprised by the knocking but I had the peace of mind to hastily pull on a t-shirt before answering the door to find Johnny looking distressed.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Steph, but it's an emergency. Ricardo has been trying to reach you and Carlos. He thought you might be up at the pool, so I came up with a message for Carlos to call home. There's been some sort of accident."

I watched the colour drain out of Carlos' face as he raced to find his phone. I thanked Johnny and returned to the bedroom where Carlos was on the phone. He agreed to something and said he'd be right there. He hung up and looked at me. "I'm sorry Babe but I need to go home. My Abuela Rosa fell and she has been taken to the hospital. My mother is booked on a flight in 2 hours and my father needs to take her to the airport. I need to go home and stay with the girls."

"Do you want me to come with you? I can be ready in 2 minutes."

Carlos nodded and we hurried to the car. I just pulled on a pair of jeans and fastened a bra and then raced down to the garage with Carlos. While we were driving, Carlos looked over at me and said, "That was some interruption Babe. Who knows what it would have happened if it wasn't for Johnny."

I smiled at Carlos and said, "Maybe it was for the best. Maybe it was the universe's way of telling us that we're not ready. I mean you have a split lip and I have a sore head. We clearly weren't meant to be together today."

Carlos was silent for the rest of the trip. He was lost in his own thoughts and when we arrived at the house, he was a little worked up. His parents greeted him at the door as they rushed to Ricardo's car. I got a quick hug and they were off. Carlos waved as his parents left and then we went into living room where we found the girls playing. We greeted them and they looked at us curiously.

Evie came over and sat beside me and asked, "Is Abuela going to be OK?"

I wasn't sure how to answer so I looked to Carlos for help. He assured his sisters that their Mama would call as soon as she was able to give us any news. He was sure that Abuela would be fine. She fell and probably broke her hip, but that wasn't usually fatal.

In order to take their mind off their grandmother, we ordered Chinese food and played board games until it was time for the girls to go to bed. Once the girls were asleep, Carlos and I curled up on the sofa and watched a film. Ricardo returned when we were part way through the movie and joined us. He was silent until the credits rolled and then he asked to speak to Carlos in the other room.

They returned about 10 minutes later and Carlos offered to drive me home. I wished Ricardo good night and offered to help out any way I could. I knew the next few days would be hard for the Manosos with Maria out of town. Ricardo gave me a quick hug and requested that Carlos not be too late. Carlos dropped me off 15 minutes later, kissing me passionately before he drove away.

* * *

Thanks for reading. I will get the next chapter up as soon as I can. I apologise in advance if that takes a few days. Cheers and let me know how you're liking things so far. :)


	24. Chapter 24 - Decisions, Decisions!

The usual disclaimer applies. The recognisable characters belong to another.

Thanks for your patience. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

**24. Decisions, Decisions!**

Monday morning came swift and hard, and I wasn't ready for it, not in the slightest. I had meetings with Ricardo and his lawyers today to talk about the FBI and their offer. I had meetings with the Marketing manager to discuss my idea, and I had dinner plans with Grandma Mazur. She was coming to Newark with a friend of hers from Bingo for the day and wanted to see me.

Today was going to be a long day, so I might as well get up and get started. By 8:30, I was sitting at my desk going through my emails. I looked up around 9 to watch Carlos walk in and sit across from me. He smiled at me and we started at each other until one of our colleagues cleared their throats and said, "My god, you could cut the sexual tension between the two of you with a knife."

I blushed and Carlos scowled at Marco, who laughed at us as he walked past on his way to the kitchen.

Carlos looked down at me and said, "How'd you sleep Babe?"

I shrugged and admitted that I barely slept a wink. "How is your grandmother?"

"She'll be fine. Mama is down in Miami with her and will stay for a week and then decide whether or not it is necessary to bring her up here to Newark or not. Papa said that maybe he and the girls would go down for a couple of weeks because the girls only have 2 more weeks of school left."

"I'm glad she's OK. I was worried when you had to get home so quickly."

"I will make it up to you Babe. I promise."

"I know you will Carlos, and if yesterday afternoon was any indication, it'll be worth the wait."

Carlos grinned at me and I returned to reviewing my emails. At 9:25, I made my way upstairs for my meeting with Ricardo and his lawyers. I walked into the conference room, expecting to find it empty. Instead, I found Agents Franks and Bartlett, as well as another man I didn't know.

"Miss Plum, I'm glad you could join us. I know that you were not expecting us to be here today, but we were asked to come today by our boss. This is Michael Steward, the director of the division that you'd be working for if you accept our offer. He wanted to meet you and Ricardo, and offer you both an updated deal from the one you were given last Friday.

"Ricardo is currently talking with his lawyers and they will join us shortly. In the meantime, I'm sure Michael has a few questions for you."

I sat there stunned and silent, so Michael Steward offered his hand and I shook it before walking around the conference table and sitting.

"I understand how this might all be a bit overwhelming for somebody as young as you Miss Plum. It is not my intention, nor is it the FBI's intention to intimidate you in any way. We are simply impressed by your instincts and skills.

"The written offers that you and Ricardo Manoso received last Friday had a few mistakes in them, so we have come today to ensure that you both have the necessary paperwork to make an informed decision."

He handed me a new folder and I opened it slowly. I was shocked by the numbers in the original offer, so I was fully expecting these numbers to be somewhat lower. Instead of being lower, they were significantly higher.

I looked up from the paperwork and stared at Director Steward.

"How can you afford to offer Ricardo and me this amount of money? Aren't you a government funded organisation?"

"We are partially government funded, but for every terrorist or criminal that we take down, who do you think keeps all the money we seize? We keep that money to fund other investigations, and that's how we can afford to pay for the best. We think that you are the best Miss Plum, and we are willing to make it worth your while to work with us."

"I hope you aren't expecting an answer today. I will still want a lawyer to look over these documents and to think about this."

"Of course not Miss Plum, we just need your answer by 5PM on Friday, just like before."

Moments later, Ricardo and two other men joined us in the conference room. When everyone was seated, Director Steward stood and explained the change in contracts to Ricardo and myself. After listening again to his spiel, he and Agents Franks and Bartlett left us to discuss terms. On his way out the door, Director Steward handed me his business card and left.

Ricardo was the first to speak. "Stephanie, I'm assuming that your new contract has a higher value than the one you were given last week?"

I nodded and handed him my folder. He didn't even glance at it as he handed it to his lawyer.

"While Robert and John look over our paperwork, why don't we go get some coffee?"

I nodded and stood to follow Ricardo to the kitchen.

"I want you to know Stephanie that this is your decision. I will not try to influence you one way or the other. I know it's a lot of money to throw away, but I want you to know that I will back you up if you decide that you do not want to do this. The FBI can be persuasive, but you don't have to do this unless you actually want to work for them."

"Thanks Ricardo, I appreciate you support on this. I have a lot to think about before I make my decision. It's not just the money. I don't know how this will affect my work this summer, or my school work after that. I can't commit to this if it's going to be like a full-time job. Perhaps I'll have to call Director Steward and ask him a few questions before I make my decision."

"That's probably a good idea. Perhaps we can work something into your contract to limit the number of hours you are expected to work for them in any given time period. During the summer, it will only affect me, but during school, it could hinder your education. If you can tell me what Steward says, I'll talk to the lawyers so we can get a clause added to the contract if necessary."

I smiled and enquired about his mother.

"Mama will be fine. I have worried about her ever since she moved down to Miami a few years ago. She likes their winters better, but I hate how far away she is. Maria is going to try to convince her to come back up to Newark for the rest of the summer to rest and recuperate, but I'm not sure how well that will go over."

"Carlos mentioned that you might take the girls down in a few weeks. Hopefully everything will work out for the best."

Ricardo agreed and suggested that we head back to the conference room. The lawyers had probably had sufficient time to go over the new paperwork.

When we walked back in the room, Robert was the first to speak.

"Just like your new contract Ricardo, Miss Plum's has a significantly higher retainer fee and case-by-case fee. The rest of the contract is pretty typical for government work. It talks about confidentiality, interaction with other law enforcement agencies, as well as the negative, yet unlikely side-effects associated with this type of work."

Ricardo nodded and asked, "Is there anything in Stephanie's contract about a case-by-case refusal option? She'll be back to college in a few months and will be immersed in her studies. Concentrating on a case may have negative effects on her school work."

Robert nodded his head to show that he understood the question. "As it stands now, this paperwork states that if Miss Plum accepts the contract, she must accept every job she is given. I will contact their lawyers to find out if it would be possible to modify the contract so Miss Plum can work around her college commitments."

I was a bit shy because I wasn't sure I was supposed to speak to these guys or not, but I knew that if I didn't make my thoughts known, I might end up doing something that wasn't right for me.

"I think I need to make something clear to the FBI. I do not want to do this if it means that I have to sacrifice my education. I want to be able to turn down a job or put an end to a job if it becomes too time consuming. My education has to come first."

Robert nodded and confirmed that he would ensure my thoughts were passed on to the FBI. He was also quite confident that the FBI would agree to my terms. Agent Franks mentioned earlier that he had expected me to accept the job before we left the restaurant last Friday. They figured more money might be the key, so they may just give me whatever I want.

With that in mind, I thought for a moment before an idea occurred to me.

"In addition, I want blocks of time off during the year. I want December off for Christmas as well as January and May off for exams. I also want at least 2 weeks during the summer so I can go on vacation. I want to ensure that I can easily do this work from New Brunswick during the school year. If my apartment does not have the necessary security or infrastructure, I expect them to pay for that. I do not want to have to travel for any reason unless it is agreed up-front **_before_** I accept the job."

Ricardo smiled at me as Robert said, "I think we should set up a meeting with Director Steward before moving forward with this. It sounds like we might need to negotiate your contract. There is little point using his lawyers as a go-between when we could get the agreement from the Director himself. I will call him this afternoon and try to set up a meeting.

"In the meantime Miss Plum, I would suggest that you come up with a list of your requirements or demands and get a copy to me before the meeting. I would also suggest that you and Ricardo sit down and discuss any other stipulations you both might have. I will let you both know as soon as I can get a meeting set up."

I agreed to this and shook hands with Robert and John. They left me and Ricardo alone in the conference room. Ricardo looked over at me and said, "I also think you should put some sort of stipulation in your contract to say that you will not be asked to take a job if any member of your family is involved. I know that may not be likely, but I'm sure if the situation were to arise, it wouldn't be pleasant for you."

"I guess you never know with my family, but I will only include my immediate family and my grandmother. I don't have many cousins, and the one I do have, I don't think I'd mind investigating him, he's a bit of a slime ball."

Ricardo and I talked and laughed for the rest of the morning. By the time we left the conference room, I had three full pages of conditions or requests, or whatever you wanted to call them. I returned to my desk around 12 and found Carlos away from his desk. I wasn't sure if he'd gone for lunch already, so I decided to check my email.

I smiled when I read a short email from Carlos.

_Babe,_

_I just popped out to pick us up some lunch. When you read this, grab us something to drink and meet me in the park across the street._

_Carlos_

I smiled and quickly picked up two bottles of water from the kitchen and hurried across the street to meet Carlos. I must have beaten him because I scanned the park and didn't see him anywhere. I looked back toward the street and saw him walking towards me with a huge grin on his face.

"Babe," he said as he leaned down and kissed me.

"Wow Carlos, that was one hell of a kiss," I managed to squeak out several minutes later. He smiled and guided me over to an unoccupied bench and handed me a bag. It contained a roast beef and horseradish sandwich and a dill pickle. I groaned as I took a bite of the pickle, causing Carlos to choke on his water.

"Babe, after our interruption last night, those sounds are going to kill me."

I blushed and apologised, making a conscious effort to avoid making any unnecessary sounds throughout the rest of our meal. It helped to talk while I ate, so I explained the meeting to Carlos. In fact, I didn't even mention the new contract. I simply explained that the lawyers wanted me to come up with a list of conditions that if they were met, would make me take the job.

Carlos listened to me and made a few good suggestions that were already on my list, but I didn't let on that I'd already come up with them.

He also made a couple of suggestions that neither Ricardo nor I had considered.

"I think you should request a single point of contact at the FBI. All communication should go through that person, so there is no confusion as to who is giving you your information. It might also be worth asking for a secure phone that nobody else can call. That way, when it rings, you will know that it is work-related."

Carlos was on a role. He had read a lot of novels and watched loads of spy movies. I think he was assuming things might get hairy for me so he made a few suggestions that I never in my wildest dreams would have thought of.

"Insist on your privacy, regular bug sweeps, a promise of no surveillance by the bureau. That way, if you are ever followed, you can be fairly confident that the Bureau is not involved. Your security has to come first. Some of the people you will be investigating are really bad guys, so the less that is known about you the better. Request a code name in their internal documents so your name is never used. This will protect you from possible espionage within the FBI as well as any targets. If their lawyers get the paperwork, they'll only see your codename."

This went on for a while, and Carlos was coming up with more and more ideas about what I should demand. When our lunch break was nearly over, we headed back to the office. We had a meeting that afternoon to discuss my pet project for marketing and then I was supposed to meet Grandma Mazur after work at a restaurant nearby. We hurried back to our desks and I walked into the meeting with a lot on my mind.

* * *

More to follow... Are you excited to meet the AU Edna Mazur? Chapters will go up on a weekly basis from now on, unless I finish them earlier. Work, life, etc. are keeping me busy at the moment.


	25. Chapter 25 - Introducing Edna Mazur

Once again, thanks for your patience. Enjoy!

* * *

**25. Introducing Edna Mazur**

The meeting with our Marketing director went well. She liked my ideas and suggested that I put a proposal together for Ricardo that had projected earnings if we went forward with my idea. She gave me two weeks to put the proposal together, and suggested that Carlos work with me on the presentation. I agreed to her deadline and suggestion that Carlos help. I still had the accounting half of my job, but it was a challenge I could meet.

At 5PM, I waved goodbye to my colleagues and walked out with Carlos. He had offered to accompany me to my dinner with Grandma Mazur, and I sort of waffled over accepting his offer. In the end, I was glad that he chose to join me. Especially since my grandmother could be a little frisky with handsome young men. She never used to be like that, but ever since my grandfather died a few years ago, she has really let loose and lived her life to the fullest.

I had a lot of respect for her desire to enjoy life, but all my mother saw was the embarrassment my grandma caused her. My mother was easily embarrassed by anyone who didn't fit into her idea of the perfect Burg resident. The fact that I chose to get an education instead of marry a drug addict or pervert were of constant embarrassment to my mother, and she never let me forget it.

Grandma Mazur on the other hand openly encouraged me to go to college. She even supported me my first year when my mother refused to help. After returning home for the summer and falling seriously short of funds at the Tasty Pastry that summer, my father caved and helped me pay my tuition, but my mother was still cross with him about that. I doubted he would be able to get away with it this summer, which was why the offer from the FBI was so enticing. If I accepted, I could go to school, buy a car, and even go to graduate school if I wanted.

I was brought out of my internal trip down memory lane when Carlos opened the door of the restaurant. "We're here Babe. Do you see your Grandmother anywhere?"

I looked around the restaurant, but didn't see anyone I recognised. I turned as I heard the door open and saw my grandmother walk in the restaurant and look around. I saw her eyes bug out as they fell on Carlos, and then she saw me standing beside him.

"Stephanie!" She yelled, as she pulled me into a hug that had more force behind it than you would have thought possible for a lady of her size and age.

"Hi Gram," I replied as I smiled down at her.

"Now Steph, please tell me that this hunk of a man beside you is here for me."

"Sorry Gram, this is Carlos and he's here for me. He's my boyfriend."

"Wow Granddaughter of mine, you picked yourself a real good specimen there," she said as she walked around Carlos and checked him out from all angles. I moved between the two of them to make sure that Grandma Mazur didn't do anything to embarrass me or Carlos.

The rest of the evening went well, up until I mentioned that my mother was being a bit of a pain about me staying in college. "Your mother is probably too happy right now to worry about you. That sister of yours called the other day to tell your mom that she's going to have a baby. Helen has been telling anyone that will listen that she's going to be a grandmother. I'm sure you have a few weeks before she remembers that you aren't living your life according to her wishes.

"Besides, there's no reason for you to stop living your life the way you want. If she tries to blackmail you into quitting college by holding back money, I'll gladly help out. I can move in with her and Frank and liven up their lives."

"I couldn't let you do that Gram, you need that money so you aren't stuck living with my parents. They would make your life hell and you know it. I'll be fine. I have something in the works that might make all my financial worries go away."

"What is it? Are you going to marry this hunk and let him bring home the bacon?"

"No Gran, Carlos and I are not getting married, we're far too young. When and if we decide to take the next step in our relationship, we'll let you know."

I smiled at my Gran and looked over at Carlos. He was looking out the window with a funny look on his face, but I chose to ignore him and continued talking with Grandma Mazur while we waited for our bill.

When we said goodbye later that evening, Gran promised to stay in touch more often. She was thinking of getting one of those burner phones that the criminals used in TV and movies, so she could call me more often. I laughed at her methods, but realised that she was lonely, and needed to talk to somebody as often as possible. I made a mental note to do something for my Grandmother as soon as I was able.

Carlos drove me home and came up for a few minutes. He wanted to talk about something, so I put on a pot of coffee and sat beside Carlos on the sofa as I waited for the black liquid to drop into the pot.

"Carlos, what's up? You've been preoccupied all evening. Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing is wrong, I've just had a few things on my mind. I'm sorry if I seemed distant this evening. You're grandmother is a very spunky old lady, and I liked her a lot."

"What's up then?"

"Every year at this time, my mother plans a big family BBQ to celebrate the end of the school year for those kids that are still in school. The girls are really disappointed that it might not happen this year because Mama is still in Miami and Papa has been so busy lately with work. I offered to help do the planning, but Papa was afraid that Mama might be disappointed to miss it. Now I'm not sure what to do."

I looked at Carlos and thought of a simple answer. "Why don't we invite the girls over here on their last day of school? They get out early, so I'll have to double-check with your father if I can leave early that day too, but I can entertain them in my pool and then you and your dad can join us after work for a BBQ."

"That's perfect Babe. I'll leave you Mama's car that day so you can collect the girls and we can plan the BBQ a few days in advance and get supplies. "

Carlos was looking at me with the same expression he had at the restaurant earlier, and continued.

"You know Babe, you confirmed something for me tonight. I no longer **_think_** I love you. After seeing the way you were with your Grandma, I am now sure that I love you."

"What brought that about?" I asked, adding, "By the way, I love you too," a little hastily at the end.

"She offered to pay for your schooling, and even though it would have saved you a lot of trouble with the G-men and you parents, you refused because you realised what kind of sacrifice she was making for you. You are an amazing woman and you don't take the easy road if it will inconvenience or negatively affect another person. But at the same time, you are strong, independent, and do not give in to your Mom.

"When your Grandma asked if we were getting married earlier, my first reaction was to run. After a minute or two, I realised that it wasn't such a horrible idea. I don't mean that I want us to run out and get married, I just mean that of all the people in the world, you're the only one that has made me think it might be a possibility somewhere down the road when we're both ready."

I stared at Carlos for a long while, trying to figure out what to say. Eventually, he leaned in and kissed me, forcing all thoughts from my mind. After pulling back from the kiss, Carlos looked into my eyes and said, "I gotta go Babe. I love you and I'll talk to you tomorrow. Papa and I have worked out a schedule so he starts earlier and is home in time to meet the girls after school and I go later so I can make sure they get to school. It doesn't affect my time at the gym as I start there a little later than the office, so don't panic when I'm late tomorrow morning."

I nodded and kissed Carlos again, whispering "You know Carlos, I've never told anyone this, but I love you too, more than I ever thought was possible."

Carlos took my face in his hands and stared into my eyes for a long time. He leaned in for one last kiss, wished me goodnight, and left. He looked back as he pressed the button for the elevator and smiled. I smiled back, waved, and closed the door after I watched him walk into the lift.

The next morning, Carlos walked into the office shortly after 9. I had been at my desk for almost an hour, trying to get started on the report and presentation Carlos and I were expected to put together, but I didn't mind starting without Carlos. This wasn't like school project where everyone was expected to pull their own weight. This was a professional assignment and everybody involved brought their own strengths and weaknesses.

My strengths were numbers and graphics, while Carlos brought fresh ideas, encouragement, and a spectacular visual package. I smiled at the thoughts of his package, and blushed when he noticed me staring.

"Morning Babe, you've been hard at work I see."

"Yup, I have a busy week ahead of me. I'll be meeting with the FBI at least once as well as the lawyers, and that will leave me little time to work on this presentation and report. I crunched a lot of numbers this morning, so I think a majority of the content of the report is ready to put together, but I've barely thought about the presentation. I'm beginning to regret making this suggestion now that I see how much work is involved in getting it to the light."

"Let's get started then. I'll grab us some coffees and we can brainstorm about some presentation ideas and review the numbers for the report."

"That works for me. I'll take my laptop over to the big table so we have more room."

Carlos fetched us coffee and I got set up over on the table in the corner of the room. Looking around the office, it was clear that if we started talking, we might disturb our colleagues, so I popped open my email to see if the little meeting room down the hall was free. It was, so I quickly booked it and gather my laptop and notebook together. I left a small post-it on the table to let Carlos know where I went and walked down the hall.

Carlos and I worked until lunch time. We came up with several good ideas for the presentation and he reviewed the numbers I had put together. He had a few questions on how I came up with those numbers, and in the end, we did a bit more research to back them up.

While we were out getting a sandwich during our lunch break, Carlos took a phone call and returned looking a bit grim.

"Babe, I need to go and talk to Papa. That was my mother, and it looks like Abuela Rosa isn't doing very well. I'll see you after lunch." He kissed me on the cheek, wrapped up his sandwich and headed back to the office.

When I returned to my desk a little while later, there was an email from Amanda asking me to come up to Ricardo's office. When I arrived, I was swept into the room where both Carlos and Ricardo looked sick.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Ricardo looked up and said, "My mother had a stroke this morning. I need to go down and see her, but I can't leave the girls and they will be disappointed to miss the last week of school. They always have fun parties and activities."

I looked at Carlos and he looked a bit guilty, but said, "I can't stay with them all the time because of my job at the gym. I have evening classes that I can't cancel, and we can't leave the girls alone, they're too young."

I laughed at them, causing them both to look at me with shock.

"This is what we'll do. I can come and stay with the girls while you are away, it's only three nights. I can shift my hours so I can be home when they are finished school and Carlos can make sure they get off to school just like he does now. Come Thursday, when they finish school, they can come and stay with me as planned, or we can put them on a plane down to you and Maria."

Ricardo looked at me and shook his head. "Stephanie, you don't need to do this. We will figure something out. I can't add the inconvenience of you commuting into the city every day."

"If it's the commute that you're worried about, then the girls can stay with me in the city."

Ricardo looked up at me and then at Carlos. "The girl's school is closer to the apartment than the house. Could you stop by Stephanie's early enough to get the girls ready in the morning?"

Carlos looked at his father and grinned. "I think I could handle that."

Ricardo caught on to his meaning and said, "I know you and Stephanie are adults, but your sisters are very young. I don't want you to corrupt them in any way. Just be aware of that please."

I blushed at this statement, but realised that I was grateful for the comment. Carlos and I still hadn't gone to that step in our relationship, and I was sure I didn't want to go down that route with his little sisters so nearby."

We talked for a few more minutes about the plans for the next few days, and Carlos and I were about to retreat back down to our desks when Ricardo said, "Wait!"

"I forgot to tell you that Director Steward is going to be here any moment, as are Robert and John. We wanted to discuss your list and see if you could come up with something that everyone agrees on."

I looked at Carlos, who nodded, kissed me on the side of my head and said, "Papa, I'll go talk to Amanda to see if we can get you a flight down to Miami later this evening. I'll then call Mama with the details. How long do you think this meeting will last?"

Ricardo thought for moment and said, "I'm not sure, but I'm sure we'll be done in time for me to take an early evening flight. If not, the lawyers and Stephanie are capable of continuing in my absence. They only need my signature once the paperwork is finalised, and I'm sure they can get that to me in Miami."

Carlos nodded and left to talk to Amanda.

Ricardo turned and looked at me before saying, "I meant what I said the other day Stephanie, if you do not want to do this, there is no reason you should. I will support you either way. You're an asset to my company, and hiring you full-time for a semester or a year to help with your finances is not a hardship for me."

"I appreciate the support Ricardo. You and your entire family have been so wonderful to me, and I love you all very much."

"Does that love include my knuckle-head of a son?"

"I love him more than I ever thought possible. You've raised a wonderful man who sees people for who they are and treats everyone with respect and dignity. My grandmother was very impressed with him when they met the other night, and she has hated every boy I ever dated. She kept pressing me for details about certain things, and she didn't believe me when I said we were taking things slow and I had no news to tell her."

I blushed when I realised that I had just admitted to the father of the man that I love that I had never been intimate with his son, but Ricardo didn't seem to mind.

"The night I called Carlos to come and stay with the girls so I could take Maria to the airport, I could tell I had interrupted something by the look on his face. I've never seen him so happy and sad at the same time. I trust you both, and I'm confident that you'll both act responsibly when the girls are around." I nodded as we walked to the conference room.

* * *

More to come.


	26. Chapter 26 - Crunch Time

Here's this week's chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

**26. Crunch Time**

Director Steward and the two lawyers joined Ricardo and me in the conference room and we got down to business. My list had been forwarded to Director Steward the day before, and that's where we started.

"Miss Plum, I have reviewed your list and for the most part, these are simple things to accomplish. There is a group of items on your list however, that we can't address as easily. I'm not saying that we refuse to comply with these items, we simply cannot in your current circumstances."

I was confused, and Director Steward must have noticed my confusion because he continued speaking. "The items I am referring to are with regards to your safety and the security of your apartment. The reason we cannot comply with these items is because you live in a building that does not have sufficient security in the first place.

"We have spoken to the owners of your apartment building, and it turns out that you already have a bit of a relationship with them. Mrs. Miller explained your current living circumstances and how you were almost evicted from their building last month. This doesn't affect our offer in any way, but it did give us an opportunity that we wouldn't have had otherwise.

"It turns out that the Miller's own several apartment complexes throughout New Jersey. They recently bought a building in New Brunswick very similar to where you are living now. We enquired about a flat for you in this building, and Mrs. Miller said that you could have the first pick of the building. They have only just put out rental advertisements this week, and their building manager will be taking applications for the next month before any decisions are made.

"If you take an apartment in this building, it has front-desk security, surveillance cameras in the halls and elevators, and it has a direct line to the local police station. We can supplement the security in your apartment by providing a secure phone line, satellite hook-up and several other items that will make things easier for you while working on a case for us."

I looked at the lawyers and they seemed a little surprised by this suggestion. I was also surprised, so I asked, "Why would you go to so much trouble just to get me to work on some cases?"

"Miss Plum, we spent three years trying to prove that your client was embezzling money. He has been on our radar for years, but we couldn't come up with anything. You reviewed a tax return for him and found a discrepancy with no training, only instinct. That is something we value and hope to utilize in the future. You may also teach us a thing or two so we can catch this sort of thing in the future."

I looked at Director Steward for a moment and then asked, "What about all of the other stipulations? I am still working and then I'll be back in school. I don't want this job to interfere with that."

"We will come to you on a case-by-case basis, just as you requested. We will also try to avoid exam times and holidays. Any travel requirements will be disclosed ahead of time so you can make any necessary arrangements. Basically Miss Plum, we are giving you everything you've asked for, assuming you can move into a more secure apartment building."

"Wow, I don't know what to say. I wrote a lot of things on that list that I assumed would be turned down. I'm especially surprised by the one about not working during holidays or the one where I can opt out if a case becomes too time-consuming."

"Actually Miss Plum, a lot of your requirements are very reasonable based on your current circumstances. It is actually in our best interest for you to finish your education so we wouldn't want to interfere with that."

"How is it in your best interest?"

"The FBI requires a college degree for every employee. We're hoping that if this contract is successful that you might consider a career with us."

I was flabbergasted. I never really understood that word before, but I have never felt so overcome with surprise at a comment before either. I had never really thought much about what I'd do after college. I always assumed I'd work for an accountant or something boring. I never ever in a million years would have thought about a career in law enforcement.

I was quiet for quite a while, and based on the silence in the room, the men were all aware that I was thinking and that I didn't need to be disturbed. Finally, I realised that accepting this offer not only gave me freedom to finish my education, it also gave me options for my future. I turned to look at Ricardo and his smile of encouragement gave me the courage I needed.

"I will go and look at the apartment building later this evening. If I like what I see, we can move forward. If you can put this new agreement into a contract, Rob and John can review it and I can sign it before the end of the week. Ricardo is catching a plane down to Miami this afternoon for a family emergency, so if you require his signature before he returns, you'll have to send the paperwork to him."

Director Steward smiled and agreed with my suggestion. "I will have the new contract drawn up and sent over to your lawyers first thing in the morning. We will require both signatures because this deal will not work without you Mr Manoso, so if you can give me a contact address in Miami, I'll have the papers sent down to you once your lawyers approve them and Miss Plum has signed."

Everyone was in agreement and I promised to call Rob or John first thing in the morning after deciding which apartment I would take. I felt slightly guilty that I was abandoning my roommate, but I was positive that finding another person to take my room would be easy enough if she got on it straight away.

I left the meeting room and Carlos was sitting on the sofa with his laptop. He looked up when he saw us and sighed in relief. "Papa, if we leave now, you can take the flight that leaves in 2 hours. I ran home and packed you a bag and I can take you to the airport now."

"Thanks Carlos, I'll grab my things and we can leave."

Before he returned to his office Ricardo turned to me and said, "Are you sure you want to do this Steph?"

I nodded and hugged him before he rushed back to his office.

On his way out of the office, Ricardo handed me a set of keys and said, "Thanks again for your help Stephanie. I'm sure the girls will love spending more time with you. They get out of school at 3:30 and they are expecting me to pick them up. Please explain to them why I can't be there and assure them that everything will be OK. I will call them once I land and their mother and I will explain that they can come down to meet us on the weekend once we figure out what's going on. We'll call again first thing tomorrow morning so we can talk to them before they go to school. Bye Steph."

I wished Ricardo luck and told him I'd take care of his girls and then returned to work. Carlos and I had come up with several ideas for our presentation so I needed to speak to some of the marketing and graphics people for their help. To ensure that I didn't forget about the girls, I set an alert on my phone to remind me to leave at 3. I was talking to one of the artists when my phone started beeping, so I finished explaining what I wanted and then headed down to the garage to find the car.

I was expecting to find Maria's car but it was nowhere in sight. I clicked the unlock button and realised that Ricardo actually left his car. I was a little apprehensive about driving his car, but I realised that the girls were expecting to see their father, so this would probably make picking them up much easier.

As soon as I arrived at the school, the girls rushed over to the car. When they climbed in, they were both surprised to see me. "Steph!" they both exclaimed. "Where's Papa?"

"Your father had to go down to Miami. Your Abuela Rosa had a complication and he needed to go down and see her. If it's OK with you two, you're going to spend the next 3 nights with me, and then when school is done for the year, we'll figure out what to do then. Your parents will call later to explain things to you and come up with a plan."

The girls seemed fine with the plan so we drove to the house so they could each pack a bag. The girls were quick and I made sure that they packed their swimsuits and a beach towel. When we were loading the car, Isabella asked "Steph, are you babysitting Carlos too while Mama and Papa are away?"

I laughed at this innocent question and at first but when I noticed that Isabella seemed offended at my laughter, I reassured her by saying, "I think I probably am, but we'll have to be careful how we talk about it in front of Carlos. He probably thinks he's too old for a babysitter. It might not go over well if we phrase it like that."

Since Evelyn was a little older, so saw the humour in this and said, "Steph, why don't we tell Carlos that Isabella and I are sharing one spare room and he can have the other?" She was grinning at her suggestion and I laughed. "That's a good plan. I can't wait to see the look on his face when you tell him that he has to sleep upstairs."

Isabella didn't understand why this was so funny, but I didn't want to explain it to her. I knew Ricardo was aware that things were getting serious between Carlos and me, but I didn't want to disappoint him in any way if Carlos and I couldn't keep our hands off each other. I was beginning to think that the girl's idea of sharing a room might actually be a good idea, but I'd talk to Carlos about it later.

We pulled into the parking garage for my building and I helped the girls carry everything upstairs. When we go to the lobby, Johnny greeted me and asked me if I knew what time I wanted to go look at the building in New Brunswick. I looked at my watch and then at the girls. I had forgotten I would have them with me when I made the suggestion to go today, but we should still have time.

I looked at the girls and then at Johnny and said, "Why don't we go around 6:30? The traffic will be lighter and I can talk to these young ladies to find out if they want to come with me or stay here with Carlos."

Johnny agreed to my suggestion and bid us farewell.

In the lift, Evelyn asked why I had to go to New Brunswick. I explained about moving and they both asked if they could come with me. I was glad that they wanted to go because I really wanted Carlos to join me. As soon as we got into the apartment, the girls ran into separate rooms and changed into their swimsuits. So much for sharing a room, I thought to myself. I smiled at the thought because I really did want to sleep next to Carlos and this gave me the perfect excuse.

The girls and I went up to the pool and I watched as they splashed around. Carlos came up around 5 and I explained the plans for the evening. He agreed that it was a good plan and went about sorting something out for dinner. We grilled some veggies and chicken on the BBQ and were in the lobby and ready to head to New Brunswick at 6:30.

Johnny insisted on driving, so the girls and I climbed into the back seat of his SUV and Carlos got in the front. It was a quick trip and when we pulled in front of the building in question, I stifled a squeal. The building we were standing in front of was the same building I walked past every day for the past year. Each time I passed it by, I looked up at the stone facade with longing. It was a beautiful old-fashioned building that was currently under construction. The stone balconies were being repaired and it looked like many of the windows had been or were in the process of being replaced.

"I love this building. I can't believe that I might actually be able to live here."

Johnny chucked and unlocked the front door for us and guided us into a small office off to the side of the lobby. He pulled out a folder and handed it to me, showing me the various layouts of the apartments.

Carlos and I looked through the folder and one in particular caught my eye. There was one corner of the building that had an octagon shaped turret or something similar. I never really understood how it fit in with the building, but after seeing the blue-prints for that apartment, I was keen to take a look.

"I'd like to take a look at this one," I pointed to the north facing apartment on the top floor. Johnny smiled at me and said, "I figured you'd go for that one. Mrs Miller also guessed you'd like that one. It's still under construction, so there is a lot unfinished, but it can definitely be ready by the time you need it in September."

I nodded and followed him to the elevator. We climbed to the top floor and walked out. My jaw dropped as we walked into the apartment. The floors were bare, the walls were bare, there was no kitchen to speak of, but the space itself was huge. The apartment was open-plan and from the door, you could see most of the apartment.

Johnny pointed out where the kitchen would go and let me know that if I did want to live here, I could pick out the final touches. I could choose the tile colour for the bathroom and kitchen, the flooring, the paint, and a wide variety of other things.

I was curious about the turret-like part of the building so I wandered around looking for it. I found a spiral staircase around the corner next to a small water closet, and climbed the steps. The view at the top of the steps took my breath away. The turret was a bedroom with windows looking out in every direction and a set of French doors opening onto a well established roof garden. The view around town was amazing, but it held nothing to the view on the roof.

Johnny and the rest of them joined me in the room. Carlos was looking around like he was in shock and the girls were busy running around looking in all the cupboards and drawers. Johnny walked over to the only part of the room that didn't have an external window and encouraged Isabella to press a panel. It opened outward to show a huge ensuite bathroom and a walk-in closet that would make any red blooded woman swoon.

I walked over to the French doors and walked out onto the roof. I was so surprised by the garden that I was barely able to take it in. The smells from the flowers were so strong that I had to sit on a bench before I fainted from the overwhelming feeling I was having.

Carlos sat down beside me and took my hand in his. "Babe, this place is amazing." I nodded at his comment and Johnny sat on the other side as the girls ran around exploring the garden.

"This garden was started by the original owner of this building. He loved to garden and he spent a lot of time out here. None of the other apartments in the building have access to the roof, so if you do like this apartment, it will be for your sole use. A man will come up once a week to tend to the garden, but he accesses the roof from the fire door on the other side of the building."

I looked around and finally asked, "I can't afford to rent this apartment. No student could afford to live here."

Johnny looked at me and smiled. "You aren't renting this apartment Miss Plum, the FBI has arranged for you to buy this apartment at a very affordable rate. Your retainer fees will more than cover the cost of purchasing the apartment and you will still have plenty of money left over to furnish the place and pay your tuition. The FBI has also offered the Millers a financial incentive to ensure that the apartment is ready for you before you move in."

I was speechless. This all sounded too good to be true and I was lost in my head for a long while. Finally, Carlos came over to me and knelt in front of me. "Babe, it's getting late, we should get back to Newark and get the girls to bed. Papa will be calling soon and the girls will want to say goodnight."

I nodded and reluctantly made my way back downstairs. Back in the main apartment, I took one last look around and noticed that there were three additional rooms at the back that I hadn't seen earlier. One was small and the walls were lined with white panelling and shelves. The other two were bedrooms with their own bathrooms and large closets.

The smaller room would make an ideal office or study and the spare bedrooms would be useful if I ever had guests. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted this apartment, but was it too good to be true?

On the drive back, Ricardo called my cell phone so he and Maria could talk to the girls. They spoke until we arrived back at my apartment in Newark and then said goodbye.

The girls went to get ready for bed and Carlos spoke to his parents. I heard him tell them about the apartment in New Brunswick and the garden especially. Carlos listened to his father for a little while then said, "I think Stephanie needs to make that decision for herself Papa, why don't you ask her?"

He handed me the phone and Ricardo said, "Stephanie, my mother is not doing very well, so we are going to bring Carlos and the girls down for the weekend. I was wondering if you'd like to join them when they fly down Thursday afternoon. Carlos still has to check with the gym about missing a day of work, but I can give you Friday off so we can see his grandmother."

"Ricardo, this is family time, I'd probably just get in the way."

"Nonsense dear, you are a part of this family and Abuela is looking forward to meeting you. What do you say?"

Carlos was looking at me hopefully, so I finally caved and agreed to the trip, making all parties happy. I was still not 100% sure about the whole FBI and apartment thing, but I did know that I had some serious thinking to do between now and Thursday. As expected, Carlos stayed over and slept in my bed. He was a perfect gentleman, and we slept comfortably wrapped in each other's arms.

* * *

More will follow next Friday.


	27. Chapter 27 - Spicing Things Up

You've all been wonderfully patient with me over the past few weeks. I'm very sorry I'm posting this a day late. I somehow forgot that it was Friday.

Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

**27. Spicing Things Up**

I left for the office a little earlier than usual the next morning, kissing Carlos as I walked out the door and waved goodbye to Isabella and Evelyn. I knew it was early, but I wanted to call my roommate Carol before she got too far into her day. I called her as I walked to the office.

"Carol, how much would you hate me if I told you that I need to move out of our apartment?"

"I'd miss you Steph, but I wouldn't hate you. I heard that your parents are refusing to pay for your tuition this year, is that why you're moving?"

"Yes and no. I can't really go into details right now, but I'll be moving into another apartment at the end of the summer for work, so my room is free if you want to get another roommate, or you can just let it go and move elsewhere."

"Actually, I think I can get another roommate. My cousin is starting at Rutgers this year and she is looking for a place to live. Our apartment is pretty much in the middle of Douglass and Rutgers, so I'm sure she'll appreciate not having to search high and low for a place to live."

"I'm so glad to hear that Carol, I was afraid you'd hate me."

"Nah, but if you're around, we'll definitely need to catch up. There's been some pretty interesting rumours floating around the Burg about you this summer, none of which I believe."

"I'll fill you in when I see you in the autumn, and I hope you enjoy the rest of your holidays."

We said goodbye and made plans to catch up as soon as we were both settled into the new term.

My next thought was to call Mrs Miller. I was still thinking that the apartment situation was too good to be true, so I wanted to hear why they were offering the apartment for such a low price.

"Hi Stephanie, I wondered when I'd hear from you. I had a long conversation with an FBI guy the other day, and at the end of the conversation, I was more than willing to give that apartment away."

"You practically are giving that apartment away!" I exclaimed.

"Au contraire my dear, if you buy that apartment, the FBI has promised to buy several other apartments throughout the state and in several other cities. They will use them as safe houses and staff accommodations for travelling visitors and other uses. If we lose a little money on your apartment, the prices they are offering for our other apartments more than make up for any loss. Right now, it's a good business decision for us to take them up on their offer.

"I can tell that you obviously have some reservations, would you like to talk it through? I know all about the reasons for this move, as the FBI had to disclose it to me for legal reasons because you would be living in my building."

I sighed and said, "I don't understand why they're going to all this expense and effort just for me."

"They must see something in you Stephanie. This is an excellent opportunity for you. Not just in the short term, but for your long-term career goals. Having this kind of experience on your resume will open all kinds of doors for you in the future."

"Will it really matter if I can't talk about what I did afterward?"

"Trust me Steph, if you use one of the FBI guys as a reference, nobody will doubt your abilities. If you're still not sure after you see the paperwork, call me if you want to talk."

I thanked Mrs Miller and hung up as I reached my desk. I spent the rest of the day working with the graphics team and writing up my report. By the time I had to leave to pick up the girls, the report was pretty much ready and the presentation was well under way.

The new contract was faxed over and the lawyers were going through it with a fine-toothed comb. I was given a copy and would look through it later. I had an appointment with Rob and John the next morning to sign the physical contract that would be shipped via overnight courier if I so choose.

The girls and I had a nice quiet evening by the pool with iced tea and sandwiches. Carlos had his self-defence class, so he'd be home later. The girls were just getting into their pyjamas when Carlos walked in the door with a stern look on his face.

"What's wrong Carlos?"

"Nothing much, I just had one hell of a time convincing my boss to let me have Friday off so I could go say what could possibly be goodbye to my Abuela. Tom had to jump in and promise the jerk that he'd cover my sessions before he would let me take one day off. Tom is as angry as I am. I never take time off, and I even work weekends during the school year for that jerk."

"Why was he so against letting you have a day off?"

"Tom let it slip that we might quit and join the army. Tom is one of the most popular personal trainers at the gym and people pay a lot of money to work with him. The owner is annoyed that he might lose him. He's taking it out on me because I refused to try and talk Tom out of joining the army."

"That's horrible Carlos. I'm sorry you had to go through that. The girls will be down in a moment to say goodnight. When they're in bed, we can relax and talk or watch a film or even head to bed early if you'd like."

Carlos nodded and happily hugged his sisters good night and we both tucked them in before retreating downstairs. Once back in the living room, Carlos turned to me and pulled me into his arms. He hugged me for a long time, not saying anything, but I could tell that there was something wrong. I didn't want to push him, so I pulled back and led him over to the sofa, where we sat down and cuddled together.

"Babe, you know that I love you right?"

"Yes Carlos and I love you too."

"I don't know how to say this, I'm at a loss for words, but it's something I have to do, and I'm not sure you'll understand. I know my family will be upset, but I hope you aren't too."

I looked at him and realisation hit me. "You've decided to join the army," I said matter-of-factly.

Carlos looked at me with wide eyes and nodded.

"Why would you think that I'd be upset? You know how I feel about this. The army is a noble thing and anyone who is part of it deserves respect."

"We're just starting out Babe, and I'm abandoning you."

"I don't see it that way Carlos. You are leaving, and you will be away for long periods of time, but you're not abandoning me. I have a life, I have responsibilities, and I have plenty to occupy my time. I'll miss you dearly, but my life won't end because you're off doing something that makes you happy."

"So this isn't the end of us?"

"Not unless you want it to be Carlos. I love you, and I want to be with you, but I understand if you'd rather not bother with a long distance relationship."

"I don't want it to be the end. I love you too much. I know it will be hard, but I want to be with you too Babe. I want to marry you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"That's a noble ambition Carlos, one that I actually share. I love you more than you can imagine and being away from you will be hard, but if it means that we can be together later, I'm willing to wait."

"God Babe, that makes me so happy. Will you marry me? When can you be my wife?"

"I will marry you Carlos, but I want to finish my education first. I also think it might be a good idea to wait until you've finished your first tour of duty. At that point in time, you will know how you want to progress with the rest of your army career, and I should be in a position to join you wherever you are."

Carlos hugged me so tight I thought he would break me. Then he kissed me so hard that I thought I'd melt into him.

"I can't believe the most wonderful woman in the world has just agreed to be my wife."

"I can't believe you want to marry me, especially after the way we met and everything that's happened since."

Carlos laughed and smiled so wide that I was afraid he'd break his face. I was happier than I've ever been, but then something happened. My inner dialogue started casting doubts on the idea of getting engaged to a man who could be across the world from me, or the stupidity of agreeing to spend the rest of my life with a man I'd never slept with.

Carlos must have seen these thoughts play out because his smile faltered. "Babe, what are you thinking?"

"What if I'm bad in bed? What if we are not compatible?"

"I find that hard to believe. You turn me on just by looking at me, and when Johnny interrupted us last Sunday, I was ready to combust. But if you're really worried about it, you can wait until we make love before agreeing to my proposal."

I looked at Carlos and thought about what he said. It was a good idea, and the simple fact that he was offering this compromise made me realise how much I wanted him. I excused myself for a moment and went into the bathroom. As I passed my closet, the sexy negligee I bought a few weeks ago with Carlos in mind, caught my eye. I grinned and grabbed it as I went into the bathroom.

I put the negligee on underneath the hoodie I was wearing and went back out to the living room. Carlos was leaning against the end of the sofa with his legs stretched out in front of him. Instead of sitting at his feet, I straddled his waist and kissed him. At first, he was surprised by my forwardness, but he eagerly joined in, kissing me ferociously.

I raised my hips up and ran my hands down his chest, pulling his t-shirt from his jeans. I then ran my hands under his shirt up along his stomach, all while maintaining our passionate kiss. My hands were roaming his smooth skin, and after a few moments of exploration, I moved my left hand lower until I felt his hard length through his jeans.

Carlos breathed in quickly at my touch and managed to say, "See what you do to me Babe?" against my lips.

I moaned as he pulled me down on top of him so my hands were trapped between us. He pulled back and said, "Babe, as much as I want you right here and right now, I'm not sure it's such a great idea. I don't want to pressure you into this just because you're worried I won't want to marry you."

"That's not it at all Carlos. We always seem to get interrupted, so I'm just seizing the moment. We can close the door at the bottom of the stairs and then move this into my bedroom if you'd feel more comfortable."

Carlos sat up and stood, keeping me held tight to him. I wrapped my legs around his waist and let him carry me as he closed the door at the bottom of the stairs and then walked us into the bedroom. After closing the door, he turned and pinned me to the wall, kissing me as if his life depended on it. I returned the kiss with everything I had and was completely lost in the sensations of his mouth and body.

Carlos pulled back to catch his breath and let my legs slide to the floor. The then reached down and pulled his t-shirt over his head and then proceeded to pull my hoodie off. When my top was in his hands, he looked down at the negligee I was wearing.

"Mmmm, I like this Babe, are you wearing it just for me?"

"I put it on when I was in the bathroom a little while ago. I thought about walking out with only this, but I decided that might be a bit too forward."

"God Babe, if you'd have done that, I doubt I'd have made it this long without making a mess in my jeans."

We kissed and rolled around on the bed for a long time. I put every emotion possible into my kisses and Carlos did the same. We started out slow and increased our passion as time progressed. I moaned as my body started to react to his touch and Carlos pulled me close. "If that is all we do tonight, I can promise you that it was better than anything I've ever experienced in my life. I am confident that we are definitely compatible in bed and I'll sleep well tonight, knowing that we've spent the last few hours showing each other how we feel.

I was confused by his statement, but was even more shocked when I looked at the time. We'd been in the bedroom for three hours and it was no nearing midnight. I looked over at a smiling Carlos and cuddled up close to him.

"I still want to make love to you Carlos. I know it's late, and it would be irresponsible to do it now, but I want you to know that I still want it."

"I do too Babe, but we've got time. Tom and I aren't going anywhere until the summer is over. Then we'll have a few weeks after basic training before we're assigned somewhere or deployed somewhere. Come on, let's get some sleep."

I cuddled up beside Carlos and basked in the afterglow of our evening together. Carlos leaned over and kissed me goodnight, and the next thing I knew, the alarm clock was going off, signalling the start of a new day.

* * *

The next chapter will be published next Friday. Any feedback is appreciated.


End file.
